A Study Of The Diffusion of Innovation Amongst The Beneficiaries About The Asmita Scheme In The Palghar District of Maharashtra.

Abstract

Asmita Yojana, an initiative by the government of Maharashtra was launched on International Women’s Day, 8th March, 2018. Under the scheme, sanitary napkins to Zilla Parishad school girls across all divisions of the state would be provided at a subsidised rate through an Asmita card and app by the self-help groups. This study will explore the diffusion of innovation that is availing of subsidised sanitary napkins through the Asmita scheme. The beneficiaries of the scheme are the young girls and women of the ZP Schools with the eventual objective of empowering them. The author focuses on three factors- knowledge of the process to avail the napkins, effectiveness of the communication channel used and the responsiveness of the implementing agencies on the innovation. The scheme is targeted towards both the students and their parents and teachers. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire from the parents and teachers of the girl students from 5 ZP schools in the Palghar district. It was then analysed and findings reported.