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Working Women Hostel Scheme

Working Women Hostel Scheme

The Government of India has launched “Working Women Hostel Scheme” to promote the availability of reliable and conveniently located accommodation for the working women who are leaving their homes due to professional commitments. Under this scheme, the Government provides a grant-in-aid for the construction of new or expansion of existing buildings to advance hostel facilities in cities, towns and also in rural areas. Let us look in detail about the Working Women Hostel Scheme in this article.

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Objectives of the Scheme

The following are the objectives of the Working Women Hostel Scheme.

• To promote safety and location accommodation for the working women along with the daycare facility for their children, wherever possible.
• To facilitate the services in urban, semi-urban, or even rural areas where employment opportunity for women exist. 
• To assist projects for the establishment of new hostel buildings, an extension of existing hostel buildings and hostel buildings in rented premises.
• To make available for all working women without any discrimination.
• To accommodate women who are under training for job subject to the specific conditions under the scheme.

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Eligibility Criteria

The following are the categories of working women and their children are also being eligible to avail the benefits under this Working Women Hostel Scheme:

• Working women: The working women those who are covered under this scheme would be single, divorced, widowed, married, separated but whose husband or relations does not reside in the same city or area.
• The preference would be given to the women from the underserved community
• There must be also provided for the reservation of seats for the handicapped beneficiaries.
• Women: The women undertaking the training for a job are provided with total training period which does not exceed one year. 
• This facility provided on the specific condition that there is a vacancy available after accommodating working women.
• The number of women under the job training must not exceed 30% of the total capacity.
• Girls age would be up to 18 years and the boy’s age to be of 5 years, accompanying working mothers will be granted accommodation, with their mothers. The working mothers would also avail of the facilities of the Day Care Centre, as provided under this scheme.

Details of Income and Rent 

Working Women can avail hostel services under the following conditions:

• The gross income of the women applicant must not exceed the limit of Rs.50,000 that is the consolidated (gross) per month in the metropolitan cities. In case of any other place, the limit is Rs.35,000 consolidated (gross) per month.
• When the income of any woman applicant already residing in a hostel exceeds the specified limits, then she has to vacate the hostel within a maximum period of 6 months of crossing the income ceiling as per the provisions.

The implementing agency will charge from the inmates of the working women are as tabulated below:

Hostel Facilities	Hostel Rent
In the case of a single bedroom	Not exceeding 15% of their gross salary
In the case of double bedrooms	Not exceeding 10% of their gross salary
In the case of the dormitories	Not exceeding 7½ % of their gross salary
Children in the Day Care Centre	Not exceeding 5% of the emoluments of their mother

Note: 

• The rent for trainees would be charged from the institution sponsoring the training or from the woman herself. The rent will not include the use of mess and other services like washing machines for which the user charges would be collected.
• As far as the scheme is practicable, the women with the children are accommodated in single/double bedrooms instead of a dormitory.

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Period of Stay

Under this scheme, the assisted working woman applicant is not allowed to stay in a hostel for more than a period of 3 years. In exceptional cases, the District Administration would consider and allow working women to stay in a hostel, beyond the period of 3 years, subject to the conditions that the period of extension, would not exceed 6 months at one time, and that the total stay of the woman, with extensions, must not exceed the period of 5 years.

Financial Assistance

The cost will be shared on specific ratio amongst the Central Government, States and UTs (other than North East and the Himalayan States) and Implementing Agencies for the establishment of building for the Working Women Hostel.

• The financial assistance for the hostels to be operated in the rented premises. The amount of rent would be as assessed by the State PWD/District Collector. The rent that is received from the inmates would be utilized for the hostel maintenance, house-keeping, security service, office establishment, expenditure towards electricity and water charges and any other support facilities other than a mess.
• The one-time non-recurring amount would be provided at the rate of Rs.7500 per inmate will be given to the States/UTs with the cost at a specific ratio at the time of commencement of hostel for the furniture purchase (which includes the bed, table, chair, almirah, etc.) and furnishings. The grants for the replacement of these items will be sanctioned once in 5 years provided that the hostel has been maintained properly during the preceding 5 year period.
• The total cost of washing machine and Solar Water Heating System/geysers as approved by the Project Sanctioning Committee (PSC) would be returned to the Implementing Agency with the document of final instalment on the submission of receipts. 
• In the case of Government organisations like Cantonment Boards, CRPF etc., funds will be made directly to these organisations from the Major Head.
• An equal grant for the construction of the building would be offered to the corporate houses on the public property only. For the segment of corporate partnership, a Tripartite MoU stating the financial contribution statement of each partner along with the responsibilities of the monitoring and periodic evaluation of the scheme would be signed among the Indian Government, State Government and the partner agency as and when such proposal is received. A model tripartite MoU will be made in due course in this regard.
• The inter allocation for the plan fund would be in the ratio of 87% for the construction grant including furnishing, 10% for the rented accommodation and up to 3% for inspection of the projects that are sanctioned under the scheme. 
• Additional Grant on the escalation in Construction Cost: No request will be entertained for the additional fund over and above the estimate given in the application. However, during implementation of the construction work, if the structure under the construction or a part thereof gets damaged due to any natural calamity that has been declared so by the National Disaster Management Authority or by the respective State Disaster Management Authority, the additional grant for undertaking restoration work can be supported by the Project Sanctioning Committee (PSC) on an application made for such assistance.

Procedure for Submission of Applications

The applicants need to follow the below steps to apply for the Working Women Hostel Scheme

Step 1: The women applicant must approach the Department of WCD, of the concerned State to apply under this scheme.

Step 2: The applicant will have to get the application and fill out the form in the prescribed format 

Step 3: Now, attach all the below-listed documents that are required to be attached along with the scheme application form.

• Prospectus of the organisation/association/voluntary agency/institution along with a short description of its objects and activities.
• Copy of the Annual Reports for the past 3 years
• Copy of Balance Sheet for the past three years
• Audited accounts of the agency including auditors report receipt & payment statement, income and expenditure statement. (certified by Government auditors/CA)
• A copy of the site and building plan of the proposed working women’s hostel constructing as per the certain norms under this scheme, as certified by a registered architect.
• Copy of approval from the local authority and the building permit certificate stating that its construction of the hostel has been permitted. 
• Detailed estimate for the cost of hostel building construction to be certified by the PWD or any other relevant authority and the sources from which the remaining funds will be granted.
• Documentary copy of the plot, on which the building is proposed to be constructed is public land.
• Documents of the lease deed of the proposed land for the construction of Working Women Hostel building signed between the governing authority and the lessee to be submitted along with the application. 
• There must also be a condition to be included in the agreement that “the land must be used for the construction of the Working Women Hostel”

Step 4: The applicant agencies that seeking financial assistance for the hostels in rented premises must submit the following documents:

• Copy of the rent agreement with the landlord.
• In the case of the approved project, the agency will have to submit a fresh rent agreement that to be certified by the respective authority.
• Detailed building plan along with the financial calculations of the rented premises certified by the State PWD/District Collector

Step 5: Processing of Application

The State Government would request applications from the eligible organizations and the proposals which fulfil the norms will be placed before a Project Sanctioning Committee (PSC) for decisions.

Step 6: Renewal Process

The amount of rent that is provided yearly to the organisations running the hostel will be as imposed by the State PWD/District Collector. The rent deed to be listed will be legal for 2 years after which the agency will have to apply for the renewal. The revised rate of rent, if required, would be made only at the time of application submission for the renewal of the project.

Release of Grants

The State and UT Administrations will release the grant to the implementing agencies are as follows:

The grant for construction would be released by the State Government and UT Administration in 3 instalments. The one-time grant for the purchase of furniture and area facilities would be issued with the final instalment of 10% of the hostel construction cost.

• First instalment: Released with the sanction of the Project.
• Second instalment: Released when the implementing organisation has already spent the previous instalment along with its own proportionate share of cost in the hostel building construction.
• Third and Final instalment: 10% of amount along with the one-time grants specified will be released (reimbursed) on the completion of the hostel building construction.

Hostels in Rented Premises

The release of grants would be made on a yearly basis. One-time grant for the purchase of furniture etc is released by the concerned State Government with the instalment of the first year only.

• First instalment: Released with the sanction of the Project, along with fresh rent agreement with the landlord and 2 colour photographs of the hostel building with the name board specifying that the Working Women Hostel is being operated with the financial assistance of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• Second instalment: Utilization Certificate along with audited accounts of the previous instalment and the inspection report by the District Administration providing the condition details of the hostel and services provided in the hostel along with the present occupancy details against the approved occupancy of the working women’s hostel, Half Yearly statements of the previous year and recommendation of the Government for the release of the second instalment to the company.

The project will be reviewed/monitored after every two years and if approved by the State Government for the continuation in the next block of two years, the financial assistance for the hostel in rented accommodation would be continued for the next block of two years on the submission of required documents.