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CENTRAL AND STATE SCHEMES AND POLICIES FOR SINGLE WOMEN AS BENEFICIARIES

Today, on December 10, we observe this day as International Human Rights Day. The day reminds us of our rights and duties too especially for those who need special attention like single women (divorcee (legally separated), widow, abandoned, and never married) who suffer due to unawareness of Government policies and laws that support them. This blog can be a handy tool that can sensitization about schemes related to single women as beneficiaries. Govt, both at central and state levels has certain schemes that can be claimed and utilized by the desirous women.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Janani Suraksha Yojana[1]
Objective: It has the objective of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery among poor pregnant women. JSY is a centrally sponsored scheme, which integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care.
Beneficiaries: All pregnant women, Mothers of new-borns

Labour Room & Quality Improvement Initiative[2]
Objective: To provide benefit to every pregnant woman and newborn delivering in public health institutions by improving quality of care for pregnant women in the labor room, maternity Operation Theatre and Obstetrics Intensive Care Units (ICUs) & High Dependency Units (HDUs).
Beneficiaries: All pregnant woman, mothers of new-born, new-borns

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan[3]
Objective: It was launched to provide fixed-day assured, comprehensive, and quality antenatal care universally to all pregnant women (in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters) on the 9th of every month.
Beneficiaries: all pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters.

Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) [4]
Objective: It is designed to ensure holistic development of the adolescent population by providing preventive, promotive, curative, and counseling services, routine check-ups at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care.
Beneficiaries: male and female, rural and urban, married and unmarried, in and out-of-school adolescents with a special focus on marginalized and underserved groups

Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHCs) under Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK)[5]
Objective: To provide the first level of contact with primary health care services with adolescents. AFHCs cater to the diversified health and counseling need of adolescents.
Details: They are established at Medical Colleges, District Hospitals, Sub–Divisional Hospitals, Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres, and Urban Health Centres. They have trained service providers including counselors at facilities CHC and above. AFHCs provide IEC material and other commodities such as sanitary napkins, contraceptives, medicines, and Weekly Iron & Folic Acid Supplementation & Albendazole.
Beneficiaries: male and female, rural and urban, married and unmarried, in and out-of-school adolescents with a special focus on marginalized and underserved groups.

Menstrual Hygiene[6]
Objective: This Scheme aims to Promote Menstrual Hygiene among adolescent girls and increase awareness among adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene and improve access to and use of high-quality sanitary napkins to adolescent girls in rural areas.
Beneficiaries: Adolescent girls in rural areas.

State-level:

Janani Suraksha Yojana in Uttarakhand[7]
Implementation in Uttarakhand:

• The new initiative of JSSK aims to provide completely free and cashless services to pregnant women including normal deliveries and cesarean operations and sick newborns (up to 30 days after birth) in Government health institutions in both rural and urban areas.
• The new JSSK initiative is estimated to benefit more than one crore pregnant women & newborns who access public health institutions every year in both urban & rural areas.
Details: The Free Entitlements under JSSK would include:

• Free and Cashless Delivery,
• Free C-Section,
• Free treatment of sick-new-born up to 30 days,
• Exemption from User Charges,
• Free Drugs and Consumables,
• Free Diagnostics,
• Free Diet during a stay in the health institutions – 3 days in case of normal delivery and 7 days in case of cesarean section,
• Free Provision of Blood,
• Free Transport from Home to Health Institutions,
• Free Transport between facilities in case of referral as also Drop Back from Institutions to home after 48hrs stay.
• Free Entitlements for Sick newborns till 30 days after birth similarly include Free treatment, Free drugs and consumables, Free diagnostics, Free provision of blood, Exemption from user charges, Free Transport from Home to Health Institutions, Free Transport between facilities in case of referral, and Free drop Back from Institutions to home.

AGRICULTURE, TRADE, AND RURAL LIVELIHOOD DEVELOPMENT

Mahila E-Haat[8]
Objective: to provide an online marketing platform for women entrepreneurs, Self Help Groups, and NGOs to showcase their products & services such as clothing, packaged food, stationery, industrial products, carpets, tax consulting, tailoring, embroidery, etc.
Beneficiaries: women entrepreneurs and manufacturers, local women artists and artisans.

Agricultural Mechanization for Women Farmers[9]
Objective: To improve the agriculture sector in India by adopting Agricultural mechanization as it is of the important factors for sustainable development. It helps in increasing production through agricultural works, reducing the deficit, reducing the cost of various agricultural works through the better management of costly inputs, increasing the productivity of natural resources, and helping reduce the difficulties related to various agricultural activities.
Some provisions for women (beneficiaries) under Sub-Mission for Agricultural Mechanization:

• Training Programmes on Gender friendly Equipment for Women conducted by Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institutes.
• At least 30% allocation of the fund is to be made for women farmers.
• More monetary support to buy tractors, power tillers, rice transplanters, reaper cum binder, horticultural machinery (Fruit Pluckers/ Tree pruners/ Fruit Harvesters/ Fruit Graders /Track Trolley/ Nursery Media Filling Machine/Multipurpose Hydraulic System /Power-operated horticulture tools for pruning, budding, grafting, shearing, etc.), land development, tillage, and seedbed preparation equipment, sowing, planting, reaping and digging equipment, inter cultivation equipment, harvesting & threshing equipment, equipment for residue management, hay and forage equipment, plant protection equipment, post-harvest technology, etc.

The Modified National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (MNAIS)[10]
Objective: To support sustainable production in the agriculture sector, ensuring food security, crop diversification, and enhancing growth and competitiveness of the agriculture sector while also protecting farmers from production risks. MNAIS ensures protection for notified food crops, oilseeds, and annual horticultural/commercial crops.
Benefits and beneficiaries: Actuarial premium rates for notified crops are subject to maximum premium up to 11% for Kharif season and 9% for Rabi for food crops & oilseeds. For annual commercial/ horticultural crops, a cap of 13% on actuarial rates of premium will be applicable for women. Subsidy up to 75% of the premium is provided to all types of farmers including women depending on the slab of premium.

Mahila Shakti Kendra scheme[11]
Objective: This scheme with the help of volunteers and district-level centers improves the access of rural women to services of health, education, addressing violence, employment, savings, etc.
Beneficiaries: Rural women with no access to government schemes.

13 districts in Uttarakhand operate under this[12]

Financial Assistance
Financial Incentive for Wards of Ex-Servicemen Undergoing Cadet Training at NDA[13]
Objective and aims: To provide a financial incentive for ex-servicemen or their widows who have joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) as cadets.
Benefits and beneficiaries: A grant of Rs 1000/- per month per child is provided. This is available to ex-servicemen up to the rank of Havildar or equivalent in the Navy/Air Force and their widows.

Financial Assistance To Wards/Widows Of Ex-servicemen[14]
Objective: This scheme provides financial assistance to ex-servicemen and their widows for helping them in educating their wards (for a maximum of two children).
Benefits and beneficiaries: A monthly grant of Rs 1000/- per month per child is provided up to graduation. This is also available for widows to pursue Post Graduation degrees. The scheme applies to children or widows of Ex-Servicemen up to the rank of Havildar or equivalent in the Navy/Air Force.

Hunar Se Rozgar Tk[15]
Objective and aims: The scheme by the ministry of tourism offers training to persons through Short Term Hospitality courses for training in multi-cuisine cooking, craft baking, food & beverage services, housekeeping, stewardship, tourist facilitation room attendant, and front office roles, etc.
Benefits and beneficiaries: Women trainees are provided with the benefit of travel allowance subject to certain conditions and are also given a longer period of post-training placement support.

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana[16]

Objective and Aims: To provide financial assistance to Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) for fulfilling specific conditions relating to Maternal and Child Health.
Benefits and beneficiaries: A cash incentive of ` 5000/- would be provided directly in the account of Pregnant Women and Lactating

HOUSING

Working Woman’s Hostel [17]
Objective: It provides financial assistance for the construction/ running of the hostel in rented premises for those working women. The provision of a daycare center for children of the inmates of the Hostel is an important aspect of the scheme.
Benefits and beneficiaries: Women, who may be single, widowed, divorced, separated, married but whose husband or immediate family does not reside in the same area and for those women who are under training for the job. Working Women are entitled to hostel facilities provided their gross income does not exceed Rs. 50,000/- consolidated (gross) per month in metropolitan cities, or Rs. 35,000/- consolidated (gross) per month, in any other place.

The Prime Minister Awaas Yojana (PMAY) [18]
Objective It aims at assisting with the construction of houses for the people Below the Poverty Line in rural areas.
Beneficiaries: Under the Scheme, priority is extended to widowed and unmarried women.

Women’s Hostels
The UGC provides funds to support all eligible colleges for the construction of hostels for women to provide a residential place for women students, researchers, teachers, and other staff.  

State Level

Implementation Of Working Women Hostel[19]
In compliance with the announcement of the Hon'ble Chief Minister, working women hostels are being established in all districts that are to be financed by the state government. The construction of the building has been completed in the Pauri district. In Udham Singh Nagar also the provision has been made for building. A committee has been set up under the Chairmanship of the District Magistrate to conduct the working women hostel.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarship for college and university[20] Objective and aims:

• to provide financial assistance to meritorious students with family income less than Rs.6 lakh per annum, to meet a part of their day-to-day expenses while pursuing higher studies.
• The annual target is 82000 scholarships per year, of which 50% are reserved for women in the age group of 18-25 years. Benefits and beneficiaries: Students who are above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in the relevant stream from a particular Board of Examination in class XII and pursuing the regular course and not availing the benefit of any other scholarships are eligible to apply under this Scheme. The rate of scholarship is Rs. 10,000/- per annum for the first three years and Rs. 20,000/- per annum for the fourth and fifth years.

Post Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child [21]
Objective: to provide financial assistance for pursuing higher and technical education to such girls who happen to be the only child in their families.
Benefits and beneficiaries: Female students up to the age of 30 yrs at the time of admission are eligible. The scholarship amount is Rs. 3100 per month.

Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences[22]
This scheme works to support the higher education of single girl children in social sciences as well as promote the norm of small families and girl children.

State-level

Mukhyamantri Mahila Satat Aajivika Yojna[23]
Objective and aims: The main purpose is to provide skill training to widows, poor and economically backward women, and young girls. Govt also distributes scholarships of Rs. 1000 and a one-time grant of Rs. 50000 after completion of skill training in Uttarakhand.

LEGAL ASSISTANCE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

Legal/Financial Assistance to Indian Women Deserted/Divorced by their NRI Spouses[24]
Objectives: to provide some financial assistance to needy Indian women in distress who have been deserted by their overseas Indian/foreigner husbands for obtaining counseling and legal services.
Benefits: Indian women deserted by overseas Indian/foreigner husbands.
Women's Helpline provides immediate and 24-hour emergency response to women affected by violence across the country through 181. Women can also call the helpline in medical emergencies as well as to find information about a variety of government services and schemes.

Nirbhaya Fund [25]
Violence and abuse against women and girls are frequent on the streets, in public transportation, and other public places. Such occurrences restrict women’s right to mobility, discouraging their freedom to walk freely and move in public spaces of their choice. Such violence also limits their access to essential services and adversely impact their health and wellbeing In this context, and following the tragedy of December 2012, the Government has set up a dedicated fund – Nirbhaya Fund – which can be utilized for projects specifically designed to improve the safety and security of women.

State-Level
Implementation Of Certain Schemes [Uttarakhand]

Sakhi[26]
One-Stop Centres - Sakhi provides an integrated range of services to women affected by violence. These services include medical aid, police assistance, legal aid/case management, psychosocial counseling, and temporary support services. Women in distress can reach the Centres physically or over the phone. One Sakhi Centre is to be set up in every district of India.
Service points in Uttarakhand[27]

• Haridwar:
  • Address: One Stop Centre, CCR, Hari ki Pauri, Haridwar, Haridwar District Uttarakhand - 249401
  • Phone: 01334- 221166
  • Email: samarpanhealth@gmail.com
• Dehradun:
  • Address: One Stop Centre, Survey Chowk, Dehradun-2480015, Uttarakhand
  • Phone: 0135 297043, 9690465299
  • Email: Onestopcentreddm@gmail.com
• Nainital:
  • Address: One Stop Centre, Govt. Medical College, Haldwani, Nainital District, Uttarakhand
  • Phone: 01334- 221166
  • Email: samarpanhealth@gmail.com
• Udham Singh Nagar:
  • Address: One Stop Centre, Near G.G.I.C., Fazalpur, Mehraulla, Rudrapur-263153, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand
  • Phone: 05944- 240426
  • Email: oscusnagar@gmail.com

Swadhar Ghar [28]
Objective: Swadhar Greh is a home that provides a supportive institutional framework for women victims of difficult circumstances so that they may lead their life with dignity and conviction.
Benefits: It provides shelter, food, clothing, counseling, legal aid, basic health services, vocational training, economic support, etc.
Beneficiaries: The homes are primarily for women who are deserted, without any social and economic support, survivors of natural disasters who have been rendered homeless, prisoners released from jail and are without support, victims of domestic violence, family tension or discord, facing litigation on account of marital disputes; and trafficked women/girls rescued or runaways from brothels or other places where they face exploitation and women affected by HIV/AIDS who do not have any social or economic support. However, such women/ girls should first seek assistance under UJJAWALA Scheme in areas where it is in operation. Also implemented in Uttarakhand[29]

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ORANGE THE WORLD

The increasing rate of domestic violence or even other forms of violence, whether off or on the record, has increased alarmingly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic had forced families to stay in and in whatever conditions that they were subjected to. The violence against women has not been limited to domestic households in our country. India has seen violence against forms so horrific- from the Nirbhaya rape case in 2012 to the Hatteras rape case in 2020- enough has been seen and done!
Even on the International level, violence against women has been increasing at an alarming rate. According to the UN report “COVID 19 and ending violence against women and girls”, as many as 243 million girls and women were subjected to abuse by their initiate partners and not more than 40% came forward to seek justice or help.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “ORANGE THE WORLD”?

To spread awareness and sensitization towards the issue, the United Nations celebrates 25th Nov as the “international day for the Elimination of Violence against Women”. Under the 16-day campaign between 25th Nov and 10th Dec, the campaign called “Orange the World” is also included. The color “orange” signifies freedom and fosters a sense of unity, and gives us hope for a brighter tomorrow that is free from violence for everyone. This day acts as a means of communicating that together if we stand united, we can contribute towards eliminating all forms of violence. In the past, the United Nations has shown their solidarity and their contribution by illuminating the UNESCO globe in orange, organizing an exhibition showing the depth and scope of violence against girls and women, and calling for a social campaign to spread awareness and advocate for women rights. During this time, social media saw a flood of posts with the hashtags #OrangeTheWorld #25Nov #IDEVAW.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LAST YEAR:

In the year 2020, the UN campaign aimed to amplify the call for global action to support the domestic violence survivors during the lockdown, collection of data, and to make efforts to prevent more instances of domestic violence across the globe. During these 16 days, the mics were handed over to the survivors- who share their stories and inspire millions of other lives out there. Stories and instances were shared from across the globe about how things worsened with the onset of the pandemic and what actions these brave ladies took to protect themselves and come out stronger.

ACTION PLAN FOR 2021

This year will mark the 30th year since the campaign was first started by the United Nations in 1991. Over the years, as many as 6000 organizations from over 187 countries have participated and over 3000 million people have contributed to the campaign.
In 2021, the United Nations is celebrating the international day for the Elimination of Violence against Women through virtual mode. This webinar is kept open for the general public to attend, and allows us, as humans, to question the root causes of violence against our girls and women. Ms. Tatiana Makaira Bandelier will get into a conversation with the moderator and talk about her book “beyond our tears” a book that highlights the struggles and testimonies which motivate us and will also encourage us.
Women in India and across the globe have been subjected to violence in all forms- from physical and domestic to emotional and psychological violence. However, this year at DivIn Pro, we are here to appreciate the survivors and show our solidarity with our sisters. The DivIn Pro team stands together for and with our women!

Key Words: Gender Equality, Violence, Orange The World, 16 Days of activism, Women, StandUpAgainstVoil, human rights. COVID 19, UN Women

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CELEBRATING CHILDREN AND NOT JUST THE DAY

Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had a similar vision of children at the pedestal of nation-building. Due to his immense love and faith towards children and their unending potential to rise and lead, India celebrates Children's Day with utmost pride and joy on the 14th of November every year as this day also marks his birth anniversary. We all know that the planet is going through a lot in almost all aspects of life, especially after the covid-19 pandemic. It has resulted in unprecedented changes in our children's life. Let us grab the opportunity today to have a look at these multifaceted changes that have impacted the lives of our children.

CHILDCARE AND PARENTING
Parents and their roles of parenting have become challenging to handle all the tasks be it office, child care, and household chores, all are happening in the same space and at the same time. All this has rendered women of households highly burdened. Homes are now centres of learning, offices, recreation place, and much more. Lockdowns brought children to get to spend more time at home but not all the houses have separate rooms and space for multiple purposes they get less space and freedom in their own house. Parents find it difficult to manage multiple roles with limited space and time and with limited technology resources.

FUN AND RECREATION
Overburdened parents and distressed children of the pandemic period found virtual babysitters, childminders, and child engagement programs as a big rescue. Again, our virtuous problem-solvers following the global trend stood up for providing virtual hobby classes and recreation sessions to the children. Such initiatives are helping our children to explore much of their interests and potential at such a tender age all in a fun and joyous manner. Platforms like Mumbai-based startup - ProEves are bringing teachers and caregivers, especially those who became unemployed during pandemic together in this situation of adversity making much out of our diverse little nation builders.

EDUCATION
Just like parenting and child care, education for children has also taken a deep turn into an entirely new era of virtual learning in India. With online classes being a new normal, many new startups are emerging to fill the void created by the learning crisis caused by the pandemic. Startups like Doubtnut and Practically are reaching out to helpless children to clear their doubts and concepts in the absence of brick and mortar school guidance. But, the situation is not at all rosy. Nearly 35 lakh children in India are 'out of school' as per Government of India data with insights provided by the States (Economic Times, October 2021). There is much to do to build the digital ecosystem of our country keeping in view the huge digital divide and rising student suicide cases for not being able to cope up with studies during the pandemic.

CAREER AND FUTURE PLANS
Along with change in the learning and education ecosystem, the changing economy and market conditions are demanding from children to have a robust career plan. Good future planning for family, career, and lifestyle is a necessity in today's world. So, opting for a sound career of choice and interest is a matter of concern for both parents and children. To overcome this, many children look up to career counsellors and experts for one-on-one guidance and counselling. These children-cum-adults get insights on emerging employment options, the feasibility of their future career plans, financial and educational consulting from these experts. Consultants and relevant agencies guide them to available noble options on scholarships, government schemes, programs- free, partially paid, and affordable academic training and coaching, etc. that might help them to realise their career dreams. It is also encouraging to see that not just parents but children on their own are rising to explore career plans for themselves. Neither are they shy to seek help from the established leaders nor do their parents seek self-dependence out of false ego. Many out-of-the-box startups solving contemporary and age-old problems.

CHILD’S CARE, SAFETY AND WELL-BEING
We would all agree to the fact that being a child is not as easy as adults have considered. Too much insight and expectations from parents, teachers, peers, and society can harm rather than do good to their overall well-being. Children, as they become a replica of what they see around themselves, tend to attain undesired traits and habits like getting irritated often, not being able to express, confidence issues, mood swings, and simply getting lazy and depressed. Though sometimes considered normal, these issues are most of the time result of some serious underlying factor. As per the State of the World's Children 2021 report, 14% of youth in India (among 15 to 25 years of age) reported "feeling depressed". To address the issue, the Central Government and many state governments have come up with stringent child safety laws, schemes, and dedicated helpline numbers. But we need a more personalized and customised approach to communicate to them on a case-to-case basis. For this also, the market is coming up with many innovations.

Children have an immense role to play to build a better world. They are the biggest contributors to our nation's joy, growth, and prosperity. Not every child has the luxury of a laptop or internet or even a complete nourishing diet, it is our duty to reach out to the children who are unfortunately underprivileged, abused, or denied of their rights.

Let's Pledge to make our world a better place to live by nurturing children who are builders of the beautiful tomorrow.

Keywords: Child, Children, Children’s day, parent, parenting, Celebration, Government, Startups, career, education, counselling, consultation.

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Battling Breast Cancer

Cancer is a bunch of infections in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and devastate the body tissue. As per WHO, it is the leading cause of death worldwide. In India, it accounts for around 8 lakh deaths every year. Contrary to worldwide trends, Indian women's cancer patients exceed in number as compared to their male counterparts. Women are generally affected by cervix, uterine, ovary, and oral cancer with breast cancer being more impactful and alone making up 27% of total cancer cases (Globocan Report, 2018).

Causal factors of breast cancer • Poor detection and delayed diagnosis: 1 in each 20 breast cancer patients are diagnosed in the advanced stage when survival case reduces drastically (Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals Report)
• Poor awareness of symptoms, Self-examination methods, Insurance policies, and available support mechanisms provided by the government and certain civil society organizations.
• Hesitancy to inquire experts, especially in the case of male practitioners due to disgrace, embarrassment, or fear of societal judgments.
• Resource crunches and time constraints from the side of treatment providers and the engaged stakeholders.
• Genetic and hereditary factors and others
• Lifestyle choices like sedentary schedule, smoking and substance abuse, consumption of oral contraceptives without clinical advice.

Early signs and symptoms of breast cancer: Swelling within or around the armpit area; Knots or dimpling over the breast area or a portion of it; Discharge from the breast and/or; Discolouration of the skin around the breast or nipples.

Standard of care available is Lumpectomy and Mastectomy: Lumpectomy involves removal of the tumour within the breast along with an edge of good tissue around it, may or may not be followed by radiation therapy. Mastectomy refers to the removal of the entire affected breast(s). Both require dedicated surgery from a team of well-qualified medical professionals.

Post-surgery issues include Physiological problems, psychological and lack of sensitisation. Physiological issues about posture imbalance, pain in the neck, shoulder, or during walking. Psychological issues include poor Self-esteem which results in the Deformation or absence of any of the breasts among survivors leads to a lack of confidence, fear of expressing feelings, and rejection due to not being able to meet ongoing beauty standards. And Lack of awareness of choice, or accessibility of affordable surgical treatments and/or comfortable post-care products.

Breast prostheses (or post-mastectomy bra)
It is a fake breast fitted in a bra cup made from soft silicone gel surrounded by a protective film. It is attached to the operated breast(s) area to compensate for the loss of the breast(s) during the treatment. Advantages include assistance in balancing the body; preventing pain, sagging of the chest area, and protecting surgery wounds and are less expensive than breast reconstruction surgery. National Center for Biotech Information reports 60% of the women do not use any type of prosthesis post-surgery. 48% of urban women use prostheses as compared to rural women.
Prime reasons cited for non-usage are old age discomfort, costing, and awareness issues. Women under the age of 50 years using prostheses were more when compared to older counterparts. Silicone pads being heavyweight leads to asymmetry and shoulder drop. lack of awareness and motivation, seen especially among uneducated females. High cost, adding up to already expensive cancer treatment.

ROLE OF EMERGING STARTUPS IN FIGHTING AND WINNING CANCER
Dealing with something like cancer and fighting it is a dreadful nightmare anyone can go through. And the entire cancer journey becomes a unique experience for women in whose case elements of shame, embarrassment, demanding social pressure, and beauty standards creep in. Scientific communities and technologies are advancing on an unprecedented scale to make the disease curable and reduce the fatalities caused by it.
Fortunately, certain noble social entrepreneurs are rising for the cause of cancer care and awareness especially to reach out to the underprivileged women in the country. Some are making women aware of the symptoms, available treatments, and post-treatment options. Many through social media campaigns and in situ campaigns are also taking up for the noble cause of raising awareness among the ladies of remote corners of the country.
Many rising startups like 'Niramai' and 'OncoStem Diagnosis' are engaged in early detection of the infection(former working specifically for breast cancer screening).
Some are even daring to enter the domain of manufacturing to supply affordable and comfortable breast prosthetics in differing sizes suiting the need of Indian women of all ages.

CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION THROUGH CALL CENTRES

The emerging cancer care fabric is commendable in India. Time and again we are seeing the rise of volunteers to change the picture of cancer care especially for women. But just dispensing information on the internet and setting up detention centres won't be enough. There is an urgent need for 'communication' with individual sufferers, consulting their issues and personalised treatment at each stage, be it awareness, detection, treatment, or post-treatment.

Consultation facilities for cancer patients are available in the medical consultation market but they are mostly confined to the medical aspects of cancer only. Women tend to miss sharing their minds and emotional pain with counselors. The absence of such patient care services leaves women distressed when they can't express properly what they are going through, especially when it comes to breast and vaginal cancer.

A robust consultation and consultative mechanism composed entirely of women folks can be a game-changer. Female sufferers not just need diagnosis advice, they also need someone who can listen to their issues coming in the way of recovery, like lack of financial or family support, mental and intimate body issues, and provide valuable insights for solving the same.

So, easing the scenario for cancer care delivery is achievable. Before dealing with cancer within the body, we have to deal with the cancer of miscommunication, social stigma, and unawareness associated with it.

Cancer is not just a somatic disease rather it has psychological implecations and challenges. To deal with such a dreadful disase, we as responsible citizens must create an ecosystem that supports ailing people and the medical fraternity with effective patient communication and support systems so that we together may fight back and win the battle of life.

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HOME STAYS: ENRICHING THE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE

With rapid urbanization, the modern world has also seen changing life and traveling patterns among the younger generations. The people today are not just interested in exploring the places they visit but they are also willing to take a deep dive into the culture and traditions on their tours. The best way to indulge in the rawness of a place, its culture, and its traditions is by getting involved with the local population on a personal level.
One way to establish that connection could be to enjoy the home stays. The concept of homestays is a relatively new one in our country which allows travelers to stay with the locals in their homes, get accustomed to their routines, and learn new patterns. In her BlogPriyanka explains how homestay experiences can be beautiful as well as exhausting in some cases. As a traveler, she explains that staying at homestay is the best way to get a deeper understanding of the people, the culture, the traditions, and the customs. She goes on to explain how the homestays work- you get to stay as per the family norms, you are taken care of and you get local recommendations (the best way to start exploring a new place). Moreover, homestays add a more personal touch to your journey unlike a stay at the hotel/hostel- where you check-in, stay and check out. More recently, the trend of homestays has seen a rise in our country. Families who have an interest in hosting foreigners or domestic travelers or who have an extra room to rent out have started functioning as Stay-homes too.

The First Stay-Home Scheme in India
The first-ever Short Stay Home Scheme in India was launched in the year 1969 to provide rehabilitation services, accommodation, and maintenance to women who have been left homeless due to issues like Domestic Violence, Intimate partner violence, or victims of mal-adjustments, etc. The United Nations Scheme provides for medical and psychiatric treatment, therapy, education, and counseling of such women and girls.

The National Level Scheme on Stay Homes
The National Homestay Scheme aims to provide an affordable and clean staying place for the foreigner & domestic tourists while also allowing the tourists to stay with the Indian families, get accustomed to their traditions and customs, and enjoy authentic Indianism. The scheme divides the Stay-homes into two categories: silver and gold and such classification will be made by the Regional Classification Committee. The deciding factors for this classification would include the size of the home, the amenities, etc. It further states the fees to be deposited by the applicants under each category for their registrations.

The Uttarakhand Homestay Scheme
The Deendayal Upadhyaya Grah Awas Yojna was launched by the Government of Uttarakhand in 2018 to develop homestays in the State to improve the economic condition of the people, to introduce the tourists to the culture, and to reduce migration by creating employment opportunities locally. This scheme further lays down the subsidy criteria, the terms and conditions, and the benefits for the applicants as well as the tourists.
However, one major issue that the Homestays face is due to the communication gap between the tourists and the home-stay owners before their arrival. The lack of communication could be due to various reasons including lack of proper infrastructure, which eventually impacts the quality of time that the guests have stayed at the Home-stay. At Divin ebiz, we are dedicated to solving these problems by taking acting as a mode of communication between you and your visitor, making sure all conversations are complete and the stay is as beautiful as the tour!

CONCLUSION:
Whenever a traveler reaches a new city, the first thing they need is a place to stay- and if that place is well equipped, personal, and gives a homely feeling, nothing could match the feeling of that. The concept of home-stays not only helps the traveler to make the, best out of their trip but also ensures that the economic development of the area keeps growing. It generates income for the owner of the land and employment opportunities for the locals, hence also empowering a sense of confidence among the people.

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CALL CENTERS: HELPING BUSINESSES GROW

Today, businesses find it difficult to keep a track of the increasing demands of customers; these customer-centric demands shall be met with quality interactions, immediate responses, and timely results. The whole process becomes difficult for businesses as they can’t employ enough to handle such operations that require them to focus on core business operations and interact with the customers at the same time. The most reliable and tested solution is Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)/call centers across sectors globally that help deliver desired value to the existing customer base and also help companies to form new customers and new markets.

Need and relevance of BPO for businesses
Call centers are primarily used for customer service, sales, setting appointments with clients, collecting customer feedback, market research, and following up on the customers. Call centers, if established internally, may become a huge economic burden. Hence, a third-party vendor or a service provider is hired to manage customer service tasks. This is a relatively economical and more impactful deal for a business as the service provider is responsible for the infrastructure management, technological implementations, and resource management that are required to set up and run a call center. The cumbersome process of setting up the complete infrastructure and human resource management like recruiting, hiring, and training of the agents would all be resolved by the service provider.

Rewards of outsourcing business processes to a BPO
A business process outsourcing call center has several advantages such as-

• Outsourcing is a cost-effective and high-impact arrangement as the cost of labour and infrastructure is lesser than in-house management of the same services.
• For complex products and services, documented knowledge-based resources can be shared with the BPO agents for advanced business usage and expected delivery and productivity.
• It is specialized in executing existing processes with greater efficiency and return on investment, thus easing the burden on the business and helping them to focus on processes that require critical decision making such as marketing and product development.
• Reduced pressure of handling customers helps companies focus more on core business operations.

Types of Services offered by BPOs

• Inbound BPO call center services

A BPO call center agent is an expert in quickly adapting to the personalized needs of the business, they can master the business's resources and help desk tools to quickly assist customers. The speed and efficiency of an agent display the dedication of a business towards its customers. Close to 70% of the companies say that they are willing to pay extra for specialized BPO services that are able to offer a good customer service experience to their clients.
An inbound call center will enable businesses to handle :
• Customer Support - A business that has a complex product lineup will have more inquiries by the customer and might receive hundreds of calls a day.
• Order Processing - Most customers still prefer to place their orders by phone and it can be a time-consuming process for a business to do so. A BPO call center agent can handle the process efficiently from order placement to delivery and so on.
• Dispatch- A business that customers frequently call to dispatch a customer service, might be overwhelmed by the number of calls by customers, and an agent can be hired on a need basis to handle such services and provide customers with real-time feedback.



• Outbound BPO call center service

In an outbound call center service, the agent’s job is to make outgoing calls to the customers, the services are rendered in order to build relationships with the customers and improve products and services.
An outbound BPO call center service enables a business to :
• Telemarketing - It is a highly cost-effective and cost-efficient strategy to generate new leads. An experienced agent can yield great results if they know the art of cold calling. They can persuade people on a cold call and present the customers with the array of the products offered by a business.
• Telesales -A cold call once identified as a promising lead, telesales agent then focuses on the prospect of closing the deal, this is a significant aspect to drive in revenue and promptly connect with a potential customer
• Market research- Businesses often conduct over-the-phone surveys to explore the customer base and reveal valuable insights that will be helpful for upcoming campaigns and product releases.

In today's dynamic and complex business environment where attracting customers, retaining them, and making them happy has become one of the most challenging and specialized business activities or functions that requires constant attention and highly specialized services which most of the time becomes difficult for companies to manage. Hence the most progressive, visionary, and customer-focused organizations outsource their customer service operations to a dedicated call center or a third-party vendor who handles their customer services so that companies may focus and grow upon their core business operations.