March 3, 2026Open Access

Exploring Empowerment Potential and Challenges in Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana Aimed at Girl Child Financial Security

Key Points

Higher empowerment perceptions were noted in urban and high-income groups, indicating disparities in SSY's reach.
Barriers such as lack of awareness (68%) and rural access issues (55%) strongly predicted lower effectiveness of the scheme.
Quantitative analysis employed various statistical methods, revealing key insights about empowerment and access challenges.
Policy recommendations include rural outreach and awareness campaigns to enhance the effectiveness of SSY in promoting gender equality.

Abstract

The Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana (SSY), launched in 2015, aims to empower the girl child through targeted financial inclusion for education and marriage expenses. This study explores SSY's empowerment potential and implementation challenges using a mixed-methods design with stratified purposive sampling (200 PUC girls aged 16–18 and 50 bank/post office stakeholders). Quantitative analysis (descriptive statistics, t-tests/ANOVA, chi-square, regression) revealed higher empowerment perceptions in urban/high-income groups, with significant rural-urban disparities. Key barriers included lack of awareness (68%), rural access issues (55%), and gender bias (42%), strongly predicting lower scheme reach. Findings affirm SSY's role in promoting financial security, education support, and independence while highlighting inequities in adoption. Implications suggest prioritized rural outreach, awareness campaigns, and policy tweaks for inclusivity. Limitations include sample regional focus and cross-sectional nature. The study underscores SSY's transformative value for gender equality and recommends reforms to enhance equitable financial security nationwide

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