ABOUT

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. West Bengal Women Development Undertaking under the aegis of Women and Social Welfare Department, GOWB has been entrusted with the responsibility of State Level Nodal Agency for implementation of this Scheme with effect from 2006 – 2007. The Project proposals are received in the Districts including Kolkata and the proposals recommended by the District Magistrates are considered for sanction at state level by the Project Approval Committee headed by the Hon’ble MIC, WD&SW.

Projects implemented under SWAWLAMBAN during 2013-14 to 2015-16 :

GENESIS

Successive Plans have emphasised the need for creating employment opportunities for women. For this purpose a number of programmes have been taken up by the Central and State Governments but earlier efforts have not achieved the desired results primarily because of lack of proper linkages between training, supply of raw-materials, quality control, assured market and managerial skills. The industrial policy of the Government of India has also been emphasizing the need for setting up of industrial units in the backward areas of the country. It is against this background that NORAD assistance (later renamed- SWAWLAMBAN) assistance started to be utilized. This assistance mainly aims at providing skill development training to rural & urban women & girls for employment generation leading to income generation.

Since the year- 1982:83, Department of WCD, Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India has been extending financial assistance for implementation of the schemes through the Department of W & CD& SW, Govt. of W.B. In the year – 2005:06, Secretary, Department of W & CD, Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India in her letter D.O. No.- 19-12/2005-Swawlamban(NORAD) dated. 05.07.2005 intimated that the scheme is being transferred to the State Government w.e.f. 01.04.2006 with a request to the State Government to make provision for financial allocation in the annual budget from 2006-07 onwards.

Accordingly Department of WCD & SW, Govt. of W.B. issued a Memorandum mentioning that the scheme will be continued under ‘State Plan’ (No.3469(3)-SW/IW-43/96(Pt.-I) dated. 15.11.2006 with a budget provision under the State Plan head A/C- “2235-02-103-3P-012-V-31-02”. The Office of West Bengal Women Development Undertaking (A Govt. of W.B. Undertaking), LA-Block, B-7, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata-98 (now Office has been shifted to Nirman Bhavan, Ground Floor, Salt lake City, Kolkata – 91) has been declared as the “Nodal Agency” for the purpose of implementing the scheme from time to time as per requirement observing the orders and guidelines of the Finance Department, Govt. of W.B.

OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHEME

The scheme has been observing the following broad objectives –

1. 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.

Download Swawalamban Scheme a Step towards Women Empowerment

Download The New Guidelines of Swawalamban (Annexure-I)

Download The Scheme Guidelines and Application Format of Swawalamban Proforma