Nai Roshini Yojana

“The future of India lies in its villages” – Mahatma Gandhi

The development of women has been a subject of prominent interest for the Government, media critics and civilians alike for many years. The Ministry of Minority Affairs has come up with a leadership development program called “Nai Roshini,” which strives to cater to women who belong to the minority community of India. The scheme is intended to empower and inspire confidence among such women, including their neighbors from different communities located in the same village or community; by providing them with adequate knowledge, tools, and techniques so that they may interact with Government systems, banks and other institutions at all levels. This program is aided by NGOs, civil societies and various Government institutions. In this article, we look at the Nai Roshini Yojana scheme in detail.

Features of Nai Roshini Yojana Scheme

The Nai Roshini Yojana scheme is intended to empower the women who belong to the minority community by providing them with the requisite training. Training modules will be created by considering the local needs of the particular locality. Also, the modules will be determined based on the various needs of women such as education, employment, and the likes of it. The scheme is now existent in the states of West Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Range of Services

Nai Roshini Yojana operates with higher education centers and universities, which are formed in association with Panchayati Raj training institutions, and has received the accreditation of UGC. These training centres act as avenues of training, education, and knowledge for the minority women. The scope of training would include specialized training for meeting local needs and provision of audio-visual aids to facilitate better and real-time learning from training manuals. The modules for training are approved by the concerned committees.

Eligibility Criteria

Women applying for the benefits of the scheme must:

• Be 18-65 years old.
• Belong to the minority community.
• Have an annual income which doesn’t exceed a sum of Rs 2.5 lakhs.
• Possess a BPL (Below Poverty Line) certificate.

Documents Required

Applicants of the scheme must possess and furnish the following documents:

• Aadhar Card.
• Documents depicting age and proof of residence.
• BPL Certificate.
• Minority Certificate.
• Proof of income.
• Bank account details.

Qualified Organizations

The following organizations can partake in the scheme:

• Society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• Public Trust registered under any of the prevalent laws.
• Non-profit private limited company registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act.
• Universities or institutions of higher learning accredited by the UGC.
• Training institutes belonging to Central and State Government/UT Administration including Panchayati Raj Training Institutes.
• Registered co-operative societies engaged in the empowerment of women or other welfare activities.

The above-mentioned entities must be operational for at-least three years. Qualified agencies must duly furnish the audited account details of the last three years. Besides, local level organizations who have engaged in the activities connected with development will be considered for the scheme. The respective organization must have with it trained and experienced trainers for the better implementation of the operations. For training's which comprise of residential facilities, the particular organization must at-least house 25 trainees. The selection of the Organizations or agencies is vested with the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Process of Registration

Organizations that are interested to partake in the scheme may do it by following the procedures specified below: Step 1:- The organization needs to visit the official website of Online Application Management System, which is being maintained by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Step 2:- On the home page of the website, click on “New user registration”, which is available on the right-hand side of the page. Step 3:- The candidate must enter details pertaining to the Organization. Step 4:- Click on “Generate OTP”, after entering which the registration form can be submitted using the “Submit” button.

Activities Pursued by the Organization

The organizations enrolled in the implementation of the scheme will perform the following activities:

• Identification of villages and urban localities where the scheme would be implemented.
• Identifying women for training.
• Rendering non-residential and residential training for the women so chosen to partake in the scheme.

Funding

Organizations involved in the scheme will be funded by both the Central and State Governments to meet the costs of implementation. Regarding the quantum of funds, each organization will be accorded with a sum of Rs 25,000 for non-residential training, and Rs 15,000 for residential training.

Conditions for Obtaining Funds

The Government would release funds to the organization if it meets the following conditions:

• The website of the Organization must include the particulars of its heads.
• The organization must possess a GPS system so that it can take snapshots of the activities.
• Funds provided by the Ministry of Minority Affairs must be maintained in a separate account.
• The utilization of funds should be reported to the Government Authority on demand.
• The organization should maintain a deed stating that if the funds are utilized for any other purpose, it will remit a penalty that amounts to 18% of the total grants received by them.
• On completion of the project, the organization is required to intimate the same to the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
• The audited account must be furnished to the respective authority.
• The Online Application Management System will inspect the activities pursued by the organization, after which the funds will be distributed.