Question : EMPLOYMENT TO WOMEN

(a) whether the Government has prepared or proposes to prepare any programme to provide education and employment opportunities to the poor, widows and destitute women in the country for their welfare;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) the details of the centres where these programmes are being run, State/UT-wise;

(d) the details of women benefited from these programmes during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;

(e) the reasons for slow pace of implementation of these programmes during the said period;and

(f) the details of funds allocated during the current Five Year Plan along with the amount utilised by each State out of the said funds?

MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILDDEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI KRISHNA TIRATH)

(a) to (d): Ministries /Departments of Human Resource Development, Rural Developemnt, Tribal Welfare, Urban Development, Science and Technology and others have women specific programmes to provide education and employment opportunities. This Ministry is implementing a scheme called “Support to Training and Employment Programme(STEP)” to ensure sustainable employment and income generation for marginalized and asset-less rural and urban poor women across the country. The beneficiaries under the project are poor or asset-less marginalized women with special focus on SC/ ST households, women headed households and families below the poverty line. The State/ UT-wise details of women covered under the Scheme during the last 3 years and the current year is at Annex-I.

Ministry has also set up a Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) as a society in 1993 to extends collateral free microcredit for livelihood support and asset creation to women in the unorganized sector. It channelizes microfinance through Intermediary Micro-finance Organisations (IMOs) working in different parts of the country. The State/ UT-wise details of women covered under the Scheme during the last 3 years and the current year is at Annex-II.

(e) & (f): Since STEP is a demand driven programme, proposals under this scheme are submitted by eligible organisation after recommendation of State Government and Project Sanctioning Committee (PSC) after due scrutiny approves/ rejects the proposals. The State/ UT-wise details of fund allocation to the implementing agencies during the current Five Year Plan is at Annex-III. The State/ UT-wise details of loan sanctioned by the Rashtriya Mahila Kosh during the current Five Year Plan is at Annex-IV.