West Bengal

The Honourable Supreme Court of India directed to explore alternative opportunities for better livelihood for sex workers and victims of sex trafficking. The proposal of promulgation of Muktir Alo – a comprehensive Scheme for rehabilitation of sex workers and victims of sex trafficking in West Bengal under the Department of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal has been approved in Cabinet Meeting on 13th June, 2014. Subsequently this Notification on implementation of Muktir Alo Scheme in collaboration with experienced and reputed NGO was issued by the Department. Muktir Alo scheme was inaugurated on 4th September,2015 by the Honourable Chief Minister, West Bengal.

West Bengal Women Development Undertaking has been declared as Nodal Agency on behalf of Women Development and Social Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal. This scheme intends to provide opportunities of life with dignity and alternative career opportunities to the sex workers and trafficked victims (female).

Objective 

1. To provide opportunities of life with dignity to the girls and women who have drawn into the profession of sex work by force or otherwise
2. To provide alternative career opportunities for sex workers and victims of sex trafficking who wish to leave the profession through appropriate job training and vocational training for skill up gradation to enable them to start their life afresh through alternative livelihood option;
3. To provide ‘Entrepreneurship Development Training’ for making them capable for taking up bankable projects after the training; iv) Influencing small & cottage entrepreneurship
4. Influencing small & cottage entrepreneurship with a motive to create viable markets in the domestic as well as overseas.

Beneficiaries

1. A female who is a resident of West Bengal and is a sex worker at her prime age and have the willingness to voluntarily abandon her vocation for a dignified social life
2. A female who has been rescued by Police and released in the care of family members on Personal Release Bond or by order of the competent court
3. A rescued victim of sex trafficking sheltered at a protective Home or released in the care of family and booked as victim girl under ITP Act;
   Facilities under the scheme may also be availed by the children accompanying women n the above categories. However, girls above 10 and less than18 years and boys above 7 years and less than 18 years would be shifted to the Children Homes being run under JJ Act. 

Swawlamban is a State sponsored scheme for socially distressed women and girls including transgender, trafficked victims, sex workers and women in moral danger of the age group of 18-35 years through which vocational training is imparted in collaboration with NGOs. This scheme emphasizes economic empowerment of socially marginalized women with special emphasis on those who are vulnerable to immoral trafficking

Objectives

1. The scheme has been observing the following broad objectives – Developing skill leading to generating of income of the women & girls in crisis situation and from the under privileged section of the society ensuring economic participation of women and transgender in the family.
2. Providing ‘Entrepreneurship development training’ for making them capable for taking up bankable projects after the training.
3. Influencing small & cottage entrepreneurship with a motive to create viable markets in the domestic as well as overseas.
4. Converging different facilities available with the Local Government for all round development of the women & girls.
5. Creating scope for alternative source of employment to women & girls in tribal areas, closed tea gardens, hills, islands and slums without any overlapping of similar programme.

Coverage

1. The scope of the scheme will be in any rural & urban areas within the jurisdiction of the state of West Bengal .
2. The scheme will be implemented by selected NGOs as per criteria, profit making companies registered under Company”s Act and recommendation by the District Authority
3. The socially distressed Women & girls including Transgender of the age group of 18-35 yrs. are to be covered in the programme; traffic victims, potential traffic victims, sex workers and women in moral danger be given priority and if necessary the upper age limit for such category of women be relaxed up to 45 years.
4. The proposed beneficiaries are to be selected in consultation with BDO/SDO/DSWO/ADM and a list to be submitted duly signed by them after the project is sanctioned.
5. Minorities will be given top most priority and twelve(12) such priority districts will see the most viable & feasible projects .
6. Indigenous and traditional trades will be opted for undertaking such training programme depending on the nature of availability of raw-materials & scope for marketing of finished products.

“Bharosa-Geriatric Care” under Swawlamban Scheme of the Department of Women Development and Social Welfare

This scheme not only caters to the need of the elderly people but will also provide employment opportunity to the women who are keen to join this profession.

Objective

1. To promote knowledge in geriatric care, deal with emergencies, understanding of various geriatric health issues both physical and Psychological;
2. To increase skill of handling aspects of geriatric problems
3. Behaviour and Communication skill development and also use of geriatric assistance devices
4. To maintain proper record and document the intervention plan of the elderly person.

Beneficiaries

1. Socially distressed Women of the age group of 18-35yrs, having minimum qualification not below class-X passed and to be selected through process maintained under Swawlamban Scheme; antecedent/background of the beneficiaries is to be verified by police.
2. Government / NGO run Home inmates who have minimum educational qualification not below Class X passed.
3. Beneficiaries must have proof of identification (Voter’s identity card/Ration Card/ PAN Card).

This is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for prevention of trafficking, rescue and rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking. The scheme is implemented through NGOs. Two NGOs, Women’s Interlink Foundation and HASUS are running Home under the scheme in West Bengal. The Directorate of Social Welfare is monitoring implementation and processes proposals for sending those to the Government of India through the State Government for sanction of Grants. 

Protection Officers under Domestic Violence Law – HERE

Swadhar Grehs in the State – HERE

Helpline Numbers – 181, 1091

At the State Budget for the financial year 2018-19 tabled on 31st January 2018, the Hon’ble Finance Minister, Government of West Bengal, announced a one-time financial grant of Rs. 25,000 for economically stressed families at the time of their adult daughters’ marriages.

The grant, to be provided under the name of “Rupashree Prakalpa”, is aimed at mitigating the difficulties that poor families face in bearing the expenditure of their daughters’ marriages, for which they often have to borrow money at very high interest rates.

Eligibility Criteria

In this Scheme, unless the context otherwise requires:

• This scheme shall apply to any woman who proposes to be married if her application satisfies the following criteria:  
  • She has attained the age of 18 years AND is unmarried on the date of submitting her application.
  • The proposed marriage is her first marriage.
  • She was born in West Bengal OR she has been a resident of West Bengal for the last 5 years OR her parents are permanent residents of West Bengal.
  • Her family income is not greater than Rs. 1.50 lakhs per annum.
  • Her prospective groom has attained the age of 21 years.
  • She has an active bank account for which she is the sole account-holder. The bank account must be in a bank that has an IFS Code and an MICR code and transacts e-payments through NEFT.
• The Scheme’s Application form will be available free-of-cost from the following offices:
  • Office of the Block Development Officer in case the applicant resides in a rural area
  • Office of the Sub-Divisional Officer in case the applicant resides in Municipal area
  • Office of the Commissioner in case the applicant resides in a Corporation area
• The following documents / certifications must be submitted along with the application form:
  • Proof of applicant’s age: Self-attested photo-copy of any one of the following:Birth Certificate / Voter ID card / PAN Card / Madhyamik Admit card / AADHAR card / Primary School Leaving Certificate
  • Never-married Status: Self-declaration on application form
  • Family income: Self-declaration certified by a Competent Authority
  • Proof of Residence: Self-Declaration certified by a Competent Authority
  • Bank Account: Self-attested photo-copy of page of bank book which provides complete details of the account holder’s name, account no., bank address, IFSC code and other details
  • Proof of proposed marriage: Any one of the following: Marriage Invitation Card / Notice for Registration of Marriage
  • Proof of prospective groom’s age: Photocopy of any one of the following: Birth Certificate / Voter ID card / PAN Card / Madhyamik Admit card / AADHAR card / Primary School Leaving Certificate (attested by prospective spouse)
  • Coloured passport size photographs of the applicant and the prospective groom.
• The completed Application Form, along with all other necessary documents and certifications must be submitted to the Office of the Block Development Officer, Office of the Sub-Divisional Officer or Office of the Corporation Commission under which the applicant’s residence is located
  AND must be submitted not less than 30 days and not more than 60 days before the date of the proposed marriage.

PoornaShakti Kendra (PSK) is a ‘Convergence Model’ which aims to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of the services related to women by undertaking realistic estimates of the demand, bringing greater awareness about the women based schemes and programmes of the Government. It serves as a convergence forum which will facilitate all round development of women in all sectors and spheres in the project area.

In west Bengal the Thematic Focus area of Convergence is “Declining Child Sex Ratio”. In the first phase, PSK has been implemented in 11 Gram Panchayats of Manikchak Block of Malda District since FY 2013-14. District Administration, Malda has been providing all the support to PSK.

Strategy proposed for implementing thematic pilots –

1. Addressing the key areas for declining CSR
2. Sensitisation programme on importance of Girl Child & women empowerment for all level officials & PRIs
3. Awareness generation using suitable media strategies through NGOs/CBOs.
4. Maintain database of target group & monitoring the attitudinal change & increase participation in Govt. programmes of target group

To monitor and evaluate the PSK activities, District Convergence Forum (DCF) at District level and Block Convergence Forum (BCF) at block level have been formed.

STEP scheme is being conducted with the objective of providing training of self-employment to women in traditional enterprises like agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy, matting, horticulture etc. Women are trained with the cooperation of Non-Government Organisations. Proposals of Non-Government Organisations are sent to the Government of India through the Empowered Committee constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Women Empowerment and Child Development Department, Government of Uttarakhand.

Objectives

• Mobilising women in small viable groups and making facilities available through training, access to credit and other inputs. 
• Provide training for skill up gradation.
• Enabling groups of women to take up employment-cum-income generation programmes of their own, or to access wage employment. 
• Provide support services for further improving and employment conditions of women and for access to health care, literacy, legal literacy, and other information. 

More schemes made available by the State government of West Bengal for women can be found here

• http://wbcdwdsw.gov.in/User/schemes
• https://wb.gov.in/government-schemes-details-kanyashree.aspx
• https://wb.gov.in/government-schemes-details-shikshashree.aspx
• http://www.wbpublibnet.gov.in/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/uploads/pdf/child_development_and_women_development_%26_social_welfare_department.pdf
• http://wbsc.gov.in/organization/west_bengal_women_development_un.htm

Department of Women Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal (DWD&SW) has designed the Kanyashree Prakalpa – a conditional cash transfer scheme with the aim of improving the status and well being of the girl child in West Bengal by incentivizing schooling of all teenage girls and delaying their marriages until the age of 18, the legal age of marriage.

The scheme has two components:

• Annual Scholarship of Rs. 500/-(Rupees Five hundred only)
• One time Grant of Rs. 25,000/-(Rupees Twenty-five thousand only)

The Annual Scholarship is for unmarried girls aged 13-18 years enrolled in classes VIII-XII in government recognized regular or equivalent open school or equivalent vocational/technical training courses. The One-time Grant is for girls turned 18 at the time of application, enrolled in government recognized regular or open school/college or pursuing vocational/technical training or sports activity or is an inmate of Home registered under J.J. Act 2000.

Both the benefits under the scheme will be granted to girls who belong to families with annual family income not more than Rs. 1,20,000. The bar for family is not applicable if the girl has lost both parents, is physically challenged (40% disability) or is an inmate of J.J. Home.

Given that child marriage has a grossly negative impact on the lives of children, adolescents and young women, this scheme is expected to bring about improved outcomes in terms of their educational status, health (especially facilitate the prevention of infant and maternal mortality) and contribute towards the empowerment of the girls in the State, and bring immeasurable benefits for the larger society as a whole.

More information on this scheme can be found here.