Millennium Development Report, 2013

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been the most successful global anti-poverty push in history. This year’s report looks at the areas where action is needed most. For example, one in eight people worldwide remain hungry. Too many women die in childbirth when we have the means to save them. More than 2.5 billion people lack improved sanitation facilities, of which one billion continue to practice open defecation, a major health and environmental hazard. Our resource base is in serious decline, with continuing losses of forests, species and fish stocks, in a world already experiencing the impacts of climate change.
This report also shows that the achievement of the MDGs has been uneven among and within countries. Children from poor and rural households are much more likely to be out of school than their rich and urban counterparts. Wide gaps remain in basic knowledge about HIV and its prevention among young men and women in sub-Saharan Africa, which has been hardest hit by the epidemic.

Highlights

• The proportion of people living in extreme poverty has been halved at the global level
• Over 2 billion people gained access to improved sources of drinking water
• Remarkable gains have been made in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis
• The hunger target is within reach
• Remarkable gains have been made in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis
• The proportion of slum dwellers in the cities and metropolises of the developing world is declining
• A low debt burden and an improved climate for trade are levelling the playing field for developing countries
• Environmental sustainability is under severe threat, demanding a new level of global cooperation
• Most maternal deaths are preventable, and progress in this area is falling short
• Access to antiretroviral therapy and knowledge about HIV prevention must expand
• Too many children are still denied primary education
• There is less aid money overall, with the poorest countries most adversely affected
• Gains in sanitation are impressive—but not good enough
• Gender-based inequalities in decision-making power persist

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty And Hunger

Target 1.A: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day

• The MDG target has been met, but 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty

Target 1.B:Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people

• The slowing of economic growth spells continued job losses, with young people bearing the brunt of the crisis
• Though working poverty has declined, over 60 per cent of workers in the developing world still live on less than $4 a day

Target 1.C: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

• The hunger reduction target is within reach if recent slowdowns in progress can be reversed
• More than 100 million children under age five are still undernourished and underweight
• Despite steady gains, one in four children around the world show signs of stunted growth
• The number of people uprooted by conflict or persecution is at its highest level in 18 years

Quick Facts

• Poverty rates have been halved, and about 700 million fewer people lived in conditions of extreme poverty in 2010 than in 1990
• The economic and financial crisis has widened the global jobs gap by 67 million people
• One in eight people still go to bed hungry, despite major progress
• Globally, nearly one in six children under age five are underweight; one in four are stunted
• An estimated 7 per cent of children under age five worldwide are now overweight, another aspect of malnutrition; one quarter of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa

Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

Target 2.A: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling

• If current trends continue, the world will not meet the goal of universal primary education by 2015
• Poverty is a key factor keeping children out of school, but gender and place of residence also matter
• One in four children who enter primary school will probably leave before reaching the last grade
• Literacy rates among adults and youth are on the rise, and gender gaps are narrowing

 Quick Facts

• In 2011, 57 million children of primary school age were out of school, down from 102 million in 2000
• More than half of these out-of-school children live in sub-Saharan Africa
• Globally, 123 million youth (aged 15 to 24) lack basic reading and writing skills; 61 per cent of them are young women

 

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Target 3.A: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015

• Steady progress has been made towards equal access of girls and boys to education, but more targeted action is needed in many regions
• Gender disparities become more marked at higher levels of education, with girls not always at a disadvantage
• Women are gaining ground in the labour market, though not in all regions and not in all areas of work
• In every developing region, women tend to hold less secure jobs than men, with fewer social benefits
• Women are assuming more power in the world’s parliaments, boosted by quota systems
• Women’s decision-making power at home leaves lots of room for improvement

Quick facts

• Gender parity is closest to being achieved at the primary level; however, only 2 out of 130 countries have achieved that target at all levels of education
• Globally, 40 out of 100 wage-earning jobs in the non-agricultural sector are held by women
• As of 31 January 2013, the average share of women members in parliaments worldwide was just over 20 per cent

Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality

Target 4.A: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

• Big gains have been made in child survival, but efforts must be redoubled to meet the global target
• Increasingly, child deaths are concentrated in the poorest regions
• Newborns in their first month of life now account for a growing share of child deaths
• Meeting the target by 2015 will require greater focus and a renewed commitment to reaching the most vulnerable children
• Since 2000, measles vaccines have averted over 10 million deaths, but continued progress is uncertain

Quick Facts:

• Since 1990, the child mortality rate has dropped by 41 per cent; 14,000 fewer children are dying each day
• Still, 6.9 million children under age five died in 2011—mostly from preventable diseases
• In sub-Saharan Africa, one in nine children die before age five, more than 16 times the average for developed regions

Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health

Target 5.A: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio

• Maternal mortality has declined by nearly half since 1990, but falls far short of the MDG target
• Nearly 50 million babies worldwide are delivered without skilled care

Target 5.B: Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health

• Health care during pregnancy can save lives, but only half of women in developing regions receive the recommended amount of care
• Over half of married women in most developing regions are using some form of family planning
• African countries show wide disparities in maternal and reproductive health, emphasizing the need to expand effective interventions
• The need for family planning is slowly being met for more women, but demand is increasing at a rapid pace
• Adolescent childbearing is risky for both mother and child, and remains at very high levels in many developing regions

Quick Facts

• In Eastern Asia, Northern Africa and Southern Asia, maternal mortality has declined by around two thirds
• Only half of pregnant women in developing regions receive the recommended minimum of four antenatal care visits
• Some 140 million women worldwide who are married or in union say they would like to delay or avoid pregnancy, but are not using contraception

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria And Other Diseases

Target 6.A: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

• The incidence of HIV is declining steadily in most regions; still, 2.5 million people are newly infected each year
• As treatment is scaled up, fewer people are dying of AIDS and more people are living with HIV than ever before
• Knowledge about HIV among young people falls far short of the global target
• More orphaned children are now in school due to expanded efforts to mitigate the impact of AIDS

Target 6.B: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it

• Universal access to antiretroviral therapy is within reach, but will require sustained political support

Target 6.C: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases

• More than 1 million deaths from malaria were averted over the last decade, but renewed commitment is needed to sustain gains
• The world is on its way to halting the spread and reversing the incidence of tuberculosis
• Successful treatment of tuberculosis is exceeding global targets, but more work lies ahead

Quick Facts

• In 2011, 230,000 fewer children under age 15 were infected with HIV than in 2001
• Eight million people were receiving antiretroviral therapy for HIV at the end of 2011
• In the decade since 2000, 1.1 million deaths from malaria were averted
• Treatment for tuberculosis has saved some 20 million lives between 1995 and 2011

Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability

Target 7.A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources

• Forests are a safety net for the poor, but they continue to disappear at an alarming rate
• Global greenhouse gas emissions resume their upward path, confirming an ominous trend and calling for bold action
• Overexploitation of marine fish stocks is resulting in diminished yields

Target 7.B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss

More of the earth’s land and marine areas are under protection

• Birds, mammals and other species are heading for extinction

Target 7.C: Halve by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

• More than 2.1 billion people have gained access to improved drinking water sources since 1990, exceeding the MDG target
• Access to drinking water for the rural poor, along with water quality and safety,remain serious concerns
• Over 240,000 people a day gained access to improved sanitation facilities from 1990 to 2011—impressive but not enough
• Stopping open defecation and instituting the right policies are key to continued progress in sanitation

Target 7.D: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers

• Though the MDG target has been met,urbanization continues to outpace improvements in slum conditions
• Lessons from countries that have tackled the multifaceted problems of urban slums may benefit other countries

Quick Facts

• Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by more than 46 per cent since 1990
• Nearly one third of marine fish stocks have been overexploited
• Many species are at risk of extinction, despite an increase in protected areas
• More than 2.1 billion people and almost 1.9 billon people, respectively, have gained access to improved water sources and sanitation facilities since 1990
• An estimated 863 million people reside in slums in the developing world

Goal 8: Develop A Global Partnership For Development

Target 8.A: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system

• The trade climate continues to improve for developing and least developed countries in terms of duty-free access
• Average tariffs levied by developed countries continued to decline slightly for developing and least developed countries alike

Target 8.B and 8.c:Address the special needs of the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States

• Aid money is declining overall, and moving away from the poorest countries

Target 8.D: Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt

• Debt service ratios are one quarter of their 2000 level, lightening the financial burden on developing countries
• Reductions in export earnings have caused debt service ratios of some regions to rise

Target 8.F: In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications

• Mobile-cellular subscriptions are moving towards saturation levels, and almost 40 per cent of the world’s population are online
• Broadband is becoming more widely available and affordable, but is still out of reach of many in developing countries

Quick Facts

• Official development assistance stood at $126 billion in 2012
• Eighty-three per cent of least developed country exports enter developed countries duty free
• The debt service of developing countries consumes only 3 per cent of their export revenues
• In the developing world, 31 per cent of the population use the Internet, compared to 77 per cent of the developed world

Solar Energy In India

According to a report, India needs 3,128 Trillionwatt hour per year (TWH) of electrical energy in the future. This annual need could be met through renewable energy sources alone in the form of solar power, wind and hydroelectric power. But is this change in energy mix really feasible? How significant would it be if India could meet its energy needs using renewable sources?

Presently, India is confronting the triple challenge of climate change, energy security and economic development. At present, coal accounts for about 42 per cent of India’s energy consumption. Being the largest raw material contributing to electricity generation, the domestic shortage of coal has slowed down the production of electricity and, as a consequence, its imports have gone up.

Also, significant coal reserves and mines have not been opened fully due to disputes over environmental concerns and land permits. Hence, in order to become self sufficient in its energy needs India needs to exploit the renewable energy sector in a big way.

According to the latest report of the WorldWatch Institute, India is among the fastest growing nations, after China, Brazil and the US, in the renewable energy sector with investments rising to 62 per cent—the highest growth rate for any single country over 2010 totals.

After seeing success in the wind energy sector in 2001, the Indian government initiated a nationwide programme to provide clean, off-grid and mostly solar-generated power in remote areas of the country.

The solar power programme, now a part of the National Action Plan for Climate Change, started as an off-grid clean energy source to bring self sufficiency and reduce the consumption of kerosene, particularly in the rural areas.

While it was initially promoted as a means to achieve energy security, it now helps in mitigating the impact of climate change. To meet this, the Remote Village Electrification Programme (RVEP) was started in 2001 by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), later renamed the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in 2006.

The programme offered one or two compact fluorescent lamps CFLs, a solar panel, a battery and a solar charge regulator. Unfortunately, RVEP could cover only 9,000 villages against a target of 18,000. A number of reasons identified for this:

• manufacturing defects due to poor manufacturing of batteries and CFLs;
• poor after-sales issues; and
• corruption in the system of distribution, both top-down and bottom-up.

Government Programmes

In 2010, the Government launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission in the Eleventh Five Year Plan (FYP), which was an off-grid clean energy mission. The Mission set the following target:

1. Enabling policy framework for deployment of 20,000 megawatt (MW) of solar power by 2022.
2. To increase capacity of grid connected solar power to 1,000 MW by 2013 and an additional capacity of 3,000 MW by 2017.
3. To create favourable conditions for developing solar manufacturing capability in the country.
4. To promote deployment of 20 million solar lights by 2025. The mission aim is to make India a global leader in solar energy.

As can be seen from the above table this mission adopted a three phase approach. It started with the last year of the Eleventh FYP (2010-11) and the first year of Twelfth Plan (2012-13).

The Way Ahead

Globally, the solar power industry has grown by 75-80 per cent. The total installed capacity of solar PV systems has reached approximately 40 Gigawatt in 2010, with Germany leading in capacity addition.

In spite of loans given by the US EXIM bank (which was one of the largest financer of renewable projects in India) to the tune of $176 million in 2011 for seven solar transactions in the country, the share of solar energy in grid interactive renewable power accounts to nearly zero per cent in the overall energy mix.

However, the total installed capacity of grid interactive renewable power had increased up to 16,817 MW in 2009-10, as compared to 14,486 MW in 2008-09, indicating a growth of 16.1 per cent during that period.

So the question remains: can solar energy be the next big thing? Major challenges that are impacting the progress of solar energy today are:

• the land needed for installation,
• project development,
• high cost of solar PV technology,
• energy storage, and
• high initial costs.

Is it possible to alter the energy mix by using more of renewable energy, especially solar (both PV and thermal)? The real challenge is the unpredictable nature of solar energy. Thus many technical challenges, not just financial, will have to be resolved if renewable energy sources alone are to meet India’s energy demand.

Protected Area Networks In India

India is one of the 17 mega diverse countries of the world. With only 2.4% of the world’s land area, 16.7% of the world’s human population and 18% livestock, it  contributes about 8% of the known global biodiversity, however, putting enormous demands on our natural resources. India is home to world’s largest wild tigers population and has got unique assemblage of globally important endangered species like Asiatic lion, Asian Elephant, One-horned Rhinoceros, Gangetic River Dolphin, Snow Leopard, Kashmir Stag, Dugong, Gharial, Great Indian Bustard, Lion Tailed  Macaque etc.

Protected Area Network

A National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), chaired by the Prime Minister of India provides for policy framework for wildlife conservation in the country. The National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) was adopted in 2002, emphasizing the people’s participation and their support for wildlife conservation. India’s conservation planning is based on the philosophy of identifying and protecting representative wild habitats across all the ecosystems. The Indian Constitution entails the subject of forests and wildlife in the Concurrent list. The Federal Ministry acts as a guiding torch dealing with the policies and planning on wildlife conservation, while the provincial Forest Departments are vested with the responsibility of implementation of national policies and plans.

A network of 668 Protected Areas (PAs) has been established, extending over 1, 61,221.57sq. kms. (4.90% of total geographic area), comprising 102 National Parks, 515 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 47 Conservation Reserves and 4 Community Reserves. The State/Union Territory wise details of PAs in the country with year of notification and area is given at Annexure-I.

39 Tiger Reserves (Annexure-II) and 28 Elephant Reserves (Annexure-III) have been designated for species specific management of tiger and elephant habitats. UNESCO has designated 5 Protected Areas as World Heritage Sites. As the ecosystems and species do not recognise political borders, the concept of Trans-boundary Protected Areas has been initiated for coordinated conservation of ecological units and corridors with bilateral and/or multilateral cooperation of the neighbouring nations. There are 4 categories of the Protected Areas viz, National Parks, Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves.

Sanctuary is an area which is of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance. The Sanctuary is declared for the purpose of protecting, propagating or developing wildlife or its environment. Certain rights of people living inside the Sanctuary could be permitted. Further, during the settlement of claims, before finally notifying the Sanctuary, the Collector may, in consultation with the Chief Wildlife Warden, allow the continuation of any right of any person in or over any land within the limits of the Sanctuary.

National Park is an area having adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance. The National Park is declared for the purpose of protecting, propagating or developing wildlife or its environment, like that of a Sanctuary. The difference between a Sanctuary and a National Park mainly lies in the vesting of rights of people living inside. Unlike a Sanctuary, where certain rights can be allowed, in a National Park, no rights are allowed. No grazing of any livestock shall also be permitted inside a National Park while in a Sanctuary; the Chief Wildlife Warden may regulate, control or prohibit it. In addition, while any removal or exploitation of wildlife or forest produce from a Sanctuary requires the recommendation of the State Board for Wildlife, removal etc., from a National Park requires recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife (However, as per orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court dated 9th May 2002 in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 337 of 1995, such removal/exploitation from a Sanctuary also requires recommendation of the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife).

Conservation Reserves can be declared by the State Governments in any area owned by the Government, particularly the areas adjacent to National Parks and Sanctuaries and those areas which link one Protected Area with another. Such declaration should be made after having consultations with the local communities. Conservation Reserves are declared for the purpose of protecting landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna and their habitat. The rights of people living inside a Conservation Reserve are not affected.

Community Reserves can be declared by the State Government in any private or community land, not comprised within a National Park, Sanctuary or a Conservation Reserve, where an individual or a community has volunteered to conserve wildlife and its habitat. Community Reserves are declared for the purpose of protecting fauna, flora and traditional or cultural conservation values and practices. As in the case of a Conservation Reserve, the rights of people living inside a Community Reserve are not affected.

Regulations/laws relating to Protected Areas (PAs): The PAs are constituted and governed under the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which has been amended from time to time, with the changing ground realities concerning wildlife crime control and PAs management. Implementation of this Act is further complemented by other Acts viz. Indian Forest Act, 1927, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau of the Central Government supplements the efforts of provincial governments in wildlife crime control through enforcement of CITES and control of wildlife crimes having cross-border, inter-state and international ramifications. In order to strengthen and synergise global wildlife conservation efforts, India is a party to major international conventions viz.Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES),International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, UNESCO-World Heritage Committee and Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

Main issues concerning the management of Protected Areas: Wildlife conservation and management in India is currently facing a myriad of complex challenges that are both ecological and social in nature. Issues such as habitat loss/fragmentation, overuse of biomass resources in the context of biotic pressures increasing human-wildlife conflicts, livelihood dependence on forests and wildlife resources, poaching and illegal trade in wildlife parts and products, need for maintaining a broad base of public support for wildlife conservation exemplify and characterize the contemporary wildlife conservation scenario in India. The government and the civil society are taking several measures to address these issues. Improved synergies and better coordination amongst the wide array of stakeholders are needed to meet the challenges of conserving India’s diverse wilderness resources.

Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme

The umbrella Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice And empowerment  called “Scheme to Promote Voluntary Action for Persons with Disabilities” was revised w.e.f. 01.04.2003 and was renamed as the “Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS)”.

Objectives

The objectives of the scheme are:

• To create an enabling environment to ensure equal opportunities, equity, social justice and empowerment of persons with disabilities
• To encourage voluntary action for ensuring effective implementation of the People with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities and Protection of Rights) Act of 1995

Approach And Strategy

The approach of this Scheme is to provide financial assistance to voluntary organizations to make available the whole range of services necessary for rehabilitation of persons with disabilities including early intervention, development of daily living skills, education, skill-development oriented towards employability, training and awareness generation. With a view to inclusion of persons with disabilities in the mainstream of society and actualizing their potential, the thrust would be on education and training programmes. In order to achieve the objectives of the scheme the key strategies will be as follows:

• To enhance educational opportunities at all levels and in all forms and enlarge the scope of vocational and professional opportunities, income generation and gainful occupations
• To support all such measures as may be necessary for promoting formal as well as non-formal employment and placement opportunities
• To implement outreach and comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation programmes in urban and rural environments
• To support manpower development activities to train required personnel at different levels for all programmes/ projects/activities for persons with disabilities
• To support the development, publication and dissemination of information, documentation and training materials
• To set up well equipped resource centres at different levels. To promote and support the development of self-help groups, parent organizations and independent living
• To encourage coordination, cooperation and networking and multi-sectoral linkages
• To support people with disabilities in projects which are environment friendly and ecopromotive
• To support construction and maintenance of buildings, provision of furniture and fixtures and installation and maintenance of machinery and equipment
• To establish and support facilities for sport, recreation, leisure-time activities, excursions, creative and performing arts, cultural and socially inclusive activities
• To support and acilitate the availability of appropriate housing, homes and hostel facilities.
• To support the conduct of surveys and other forms of epidemiological studies
• To promote research in various development areas, innovative strategies, assistive devices and enabling technologies and support production of such devices ensuring quality control
• To support effort to ensure protection of human, civil and consumer rights of persons with disabilities
• To support legal literacy, including legal counseling, legal aid and analysis and evaluation of existing laws
• To support such other measures, which may meet the needs of the persons with disability and fulfill the obligations as prescribed in the People with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities and Protection of Rights) Act of 1995

Dhanlakshmi-Conditional Cash Transfer For Girl Child

The Ministry of Women and Child Development launched “Dhanalakshmi”“a Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme for Girl Child with Insurance Cover (CCT)” on a pilot basis in March, 2008. Under the scheme, cash transfers are made to the family of the girl child (preferably the mother) on fulfilling certain specific conditionalities related to birth and registration, immunization, school enrollment and retention immunization, school enrollment and retention upto Class VIII and delay in marriage of the girl child till the age of 18 years.

Objectives

The objective of the Scheme is two-fold:

• To provide a set of staggered financial incentives for families to encourage them to retain the girl child and look after her well being
• To change the attitudinal mindset of the family towards the girl – by linking cash transfers to her well-being. This will force families to look upon the girl as an asset rather than a liability since her very existence has led to cash inflow to the family.

Cash Transfer

Cash transfers are made under the Scheme to the family of the girl child (preferably the mother) on fulfilling the following conditions:

1. Birth registration of the girl child
2. Progress of immunization
3. Full immunization
4. Enrolment to school and retention in school

“Dhanlakshmi” is being implemented in 11 Blocks across seven States on pilot basis and is being implemented by the State Governments through the District Authorities. While in the year 2010-11 Rs 1.83 crore were released for 16,739 beneficiaries, no releases were made during 2011-12.

Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme For The Children Of Working Mothers

Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme for the Children of Working Mothers provides Day Care facilities to the Children in the age group 0-6 years from families with monthly income of less than Rs 12,000/-. In addition to being a safe place for the children, the crèches provide services such as supplementary nutrition, pre-school education and emergency health care, etc.

The scheme envisages implementation through the Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB), Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) and Bhartiya Adim Jati Sevak Sangh (BAJSS). In view of the complaints regarding irregularities in management of crèches by BAJSS, 5,522 creches were temporarily transferred to CSWB with effect from 18th November, 2008. The irregularities have been enquired into by CVO of the Ministry and the report has been sent to Central Vigilance Commission for advice. Further, the CCA has been asked to conduct an internal audit of the accounts and transactions of BAJSS. The report is awaited.

Financial Norms

The scheme provides grant of Rs 3,532 per month for a crèche, limited to 90 per cent of the schematic pattern or actual expenditure whichever is less and the remaining expenditure is borne by the implementing agencies. Honorarium to creche workers is fully funded under the scheme.

Monitoring of Creches

The Scheme has in-built component of monitoring of creches. State-wise independent monitoring agencies have been identified which include schools of Social Work, Women’s Studies Centres and other reputed agencies. Grant for monitoring of Creches is given @ Rs 700.00 per crèche visited and inspected and a lump sum one time grant of Rs 10,000.00 to each monitoring agency. Every crèche is required to be inspected at least once in a period of two years.

Recent Initiatives

For better implementation of the scheme and ensuring delivery of quality services, Ministry has reviewed the procedures being followed for selection of locations/NGOs/Creche Workers, release of funds and monitoring. Accordingly, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been prepared for CSWB which includes enhanced role for the State Government and District Administration in management of Creches. SOP have been developed which incorporate greater role of State Governments in the implementation of the scheme. This includes involvement in establishing credibility of NGOs, review of pre-funding appraisal report and monitoring at District level by a monitoring committee headed by District Magistrate and by local committees with Patwari, Govt. School Teacher/Village level worker representatives of Village Panchayat. The State Governments have been asked to inspect crèches to assess quality of services.

A Committee had been set up by the Ministry to suggest changes in the scheme for improving its coverage and quality. The Committee has suggested enhanced financial norms, stringent monitoring, and recommended fulfillment of certain pre-conditions before setting up of the crèches. To find the performance of the creches with enhanced financial norms as recommended by the Committee, the proposal to set up 5 model Creches in Delhi has been initiated.

Scheme For Combating Trafficking: Ujjawala

“Ujjawala”, a comprehensive scheme to combat human trafficking with special focus on children and women was launched by the Ministry of women And Child Development on 4th December, 2007 and is being implemented mainly through NGOs. The Scheme has five components — Prevention, Rescue, Rehabilitation, Re-Integration and Repatriation of trafficked victims for commercial sexual exploitation.

Some of the activities envisaged under the Scheme are:

• Formation of community vigilance groups, adolescents groups, awareness creation and preparation of IEC material, holding workshops, etc
• Safe withdrawal of victims from the place of exploitation
• Rehabilitation of victims by providing them safe shelter, basic amenities, medical care, legal aid, vocational training and income generation activities
• Re-integration of victims into society.
• Provide support to cross-border victims for their safe repatriation to their country of origin

Under the Scheme, assistance is provided to eligible organizations for undertaking the above activities. An outlay of Rs 10.00 crore was approved for the Scheme in 2011-12. During the year, 19 new projects have been sanctioned taking the total number of sanctioned projects to 166 which includes 83 Rehabilitation Homes. Funds were released/sanctioned for 64 projects during the year (upto 30.1.2012).

Training And Capacity Building

The Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with National Institute of Public Co-operation and Child Development (NIPCCD) organizes trainings and workshops on issues related to trafficking for NGOs and other stakeholders.

Cross Border Trafficking

To facilitate operationalization of the provisions of the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking of Women and Children in Prostitution, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been finalized. At a Regional Task Force meeting held in April 2010, the Paper, prepared by India, for a uniform toll-free helpline for children was discussed. A meeting was held in Delhi where issues relating to setting up of help lines for women and children were discussed.

Financial Assistance And Support Services To Victims Of Rape: A Scheme For Restorative Justice

Rape is one of the most violent forms of crimes against women, which not only impacts her bodily integrity but, in the long-run, impairs her capacity to develop meaningful personal and social relationships, and affects her life and livelihood.

The victim of rape suffers mental and psychological trauma, which must be addressed so that she is able to lead a dignified and meaningful life.

While no amount of financial assistance can adequately compensate for the injury, both physical and emotional, faced by a victim of rape, the Ministry formulated a Scheme ‘Financial Assistance and Support Services to Victims of Rape’ to provide a helping hand to enable her to cope with the trauma suffered and to tide over her immediate and long-term needs. It is founded on the principle of restorative justice and seeks to restore the affected woman to a position of dignity and self-confidence. The scheme proposes to cover women and minor girls who are victims of rape.

In furtherance of the goal of ensuring restorative justice, the proposed Scheme provides for:

• Financial assistance to the affected woman; and
• Support services such as shelter, counselling, medical aid, legal assistance, education and vocational training depending upon the needs of the victim

The proposed Scheme also envisages the setting up of Criminal Injuries Relief and Rehabilitation Boards at the District, State and Central levels for consideration of claims and ensuring effective coordination between all stakeholders. The priority of the Ministry is to encourage the States/UTs to take up proactive implementation and the effort would be geared to encouraging them to take ownership of the Scheme.

To orient various stakeholders about the provisions of the scheme and to draw up guidelines for implementation, 3 Regional Workshops were conducted at Bangalore, Kolkatta & Delhi.

The scheme is awaiting the approval of the Planning Commission on modalities of transfer of funds to the States/UTs.

Integrated Child Protection Scheme

To encourage quicker establishment of structures and procedures under the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act [JJ Act], the Ministry of Women & Child Development introduced, in 2009-10, a comprehensive scheme, namely, the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) under which financial and technical support is provided to the State Governments/UT Administrations. ICPS brings several existing child protection programmes, under one umbrella, with improved norms. These include, (i) A Programme for Juvenile Justice; (ii) An Integrated Programme for Street Children; and (iii) Scheme for Assistance to Homes [Shishu Greh] to promote In-country Adoption. A number of new initiatives have also been incorporated, such as dedicated service delivery structures at State and district levels, child tracking system, sponsorship, fostercare etc.

Objectives

The objectives of the scheme are to contribute to the improvement in the well being of children in difficult circumstances, as well as the reduction of vulnerabilities to situations and actions that lead to abuse, neglect, exploitation, abandonment and separation of children from their families. These are achieved by (i) improved access to and quality of child protection services; (ii) increased public awareness about the reality of child rights, situation and protection in India; (iii) clearly articulated responsibilities and enforced accountability of these responsibilities for child protection (iv) established and functioning structures at all government levels for delivery of statutory and support services to children in difficult circumstances; (v) evidence based monitoring and evaluation system.

Target Group

ICPS focuses its activities on

• Children in Need of Care and Protection as listed in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection Act) 2000
• Children in conflict with law; who have or are alleged to have committed an offence
• Children in contact with law; who have come into contact with the law as a victim, witness or under any other circumstance
• Any other vulnerable child (including but not limited to) – children of migrant families, children living on the streets, child beggars, exploited/trafficked/drug-affected children, children of prisoners, children of women in prostitution and children affected/infected with HIV/AIDS

Major Components

• The services that are strengthened/introduced and provided finances for, under ICPS are:
• Institutional Services: Shelter Homes; Children’s Homes; Observation Homes; Special Homes; and Specialized services for children with special needs
• Service delivery structures for the above services at Central, State and District levels
• Emergency outreach services for children in difficult circumstances through Childline Open shelters for children in need in urban and semi-urban areas
• Family based non-institutional care through: Sponsorship; Foster Care; Adoption; and After Care Programme
• Child Tracking System including a website for missing children
• Advocacy, public education and communication
• Training and capacity building
• General grant-in-aid for need based/innovative interventions

Women Empowerment And Livelihood Programme In Mid Gangetic Plains – ‘Priyadarshini’

The Ministry Of Women and Child Development is administering International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) assisted pilot project namely Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme in the Mid Gangetic Plains in 13 blocks spread over 5 districts in Uttar Pradesh and 2 districts in Bihar. The Programme aims at holistic empowerment (economic and social) of vulnerable groups of women and adolescent girls in the project area through formation of women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) and promot ion of improved l ive l ihood opportunities. Over 1,00,000 households are to be covered under the project and 7,200 SHGs will be formed during the project period ending 2016-17.Though the focus of project is on livelihood enhancement, the beneficiaries will be empowered to address their, political, legal and health problem issues through rigorous capacity building.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is the lead programme agency for the implementation through engagement of Resource NGOs and Field NGOs (FNGOs). FNGOs are envisaged to carry out all field level activities, whereas a Resource NGO (RNGO) has been envisioned to undertake activities relating to specialized capacity building and provide other technical support to all field level project functionaries to ensure effective implementation of the programme. The programme envisages giving training to the SHG members on topics such as income generation and allied activities, marketing of products and social issues etc.

During the financial year 2010 – 11, all preparatory activities necessary to launch field level implementation were completed, which included selection of 13 blocks in seven project districts, setting up of programme management structures such as, Central Programme Support Unit (CPSU) at the Ministry, National Programme Coordination Unit (NPCU) at NABARD headquarter and State Programme Monitoring Units (SPMUs) at NABARD offices in Patna and Lucknow respectively, deployment of district level project staff through establishment of Project Implementation Units (PIUs) and preparation of a Programme Implementation Manual (PIM). Besides, selection of Resource NGOs and Field NGOs was also completed. Finally, project was rolled out in the field through a Start – up Workshop for both States in April, 2011. Since April, 2011, Priyadarshini has made following progresses:

A. Progress in SHG mobilization

i.  1571 SHGs have been promoted, of which 858 SHGs are in Bihar and 713 in Uttar Pradesh.

ii.  Of the above 1571 SHGs, 263 have been savings linked – 246 in Uttar Pradesh and 17 in Bihar.

Swadhar Scheme

Recognizing the need to prevent women from exploitation and to support their survival and rehabilitation, the scheme of Short Stay Home (SSH) for women and girls was introduced as a social defence mechanism, by the Department of Women and Child Development in 1969.

The scheme is meant to provide temporary accommodation, maintenance and rehabilitative services to women and girls rendered homeless due to family discord, crime, violence, mental stress, social ostracism or being forced into prostitution and in moral danger.

There are 337 SHHs functioning in the country. Another scheme with the similar objectives namely Swadhar – A Scheme for Women in Difficult Circumstances was launched by the Department of Women and Child Development in 2001-02. The scheme through the provisions of shelter, food, clothing, counseling, trainings, clinical and legal aid aims to rehabilitate such women in difficult circumstance. As on 20.01.2012, there are 322 swadhar homes across the country.

Swadhar Greh: As the target group and the objectives of both the short stay homes and swadhar schemes were similar, these have been merged to a new scheme ‘Swadhar Greh’, with revised financial norms, in order to reach out to those women who are victims of difficult circumstances and are in need of institutional support for rehabilitation, so that they could lead their life with dignity. Financial assistance under each component of the scheme will be provided to the implementing agencies so that the day to day requirement of the inmates of the home could be fulfilled.

The scheme aims to set up a Swadhar Greh in every district.

Objectives

• To cater to the primary need of shelter, food,clothing, medical treatment and care of the women in distress who are without any social and economic support
• To enable them to regain their emotional strength that gets hampered due to their encounter with unfortunate circumstances
• To provide them with legal aid and guidance to enable them to take steps for their readjustment in family/society
• To rehabilitate them economically and emotionally
• To act as a support system that understands and meets various requirements of women in distress
• To enable them to start their life afresh with dignity and conviction

Target Group

• Women who are deserted and are without any family support
• Widow survivors of natural disaster who have been rendered homeless and are without any social and economic support
• Women affected by HIV/AIDS
• Women prisoners released from jail and are without family, social and economic support
• Women victims of domestic violence, family tension or discord, who are made to leave their homes without any means of subsistence and have no special protection from exploitation and/ or facing litigation on account of marital disputes
• Trafficked women/girls rescued or runaway from brothels or other places where they face exploitation. However, such women/girls should first seek assistance under Ujjawala Scheme in areas where it is in operation

Hostel For Working Women

The Scheme of Hostel for Working Women envisages provision of safe and affordable hostel accommodation to working, single working woman, women working at places away from their home-town and for women being trained for employment.

Since its inception in 1972-73, 891 hostels have been sanctioned under the scheme all over the country benefiting about 66,299 working women.

The scheme has been revised with following salient features:

• Financial assistance for construction of hostel building to be given only on public land
• Financial assistance available for rent of the hostels run in rented premises also
• Provision for maintenance grant of hostel building (maximum Rs 5.00 lakh) and one-time non-recurring grant for furnishings @ Rs 7500/- per beneficiary
• State Government agencies, Urban Municipal Bodies, Cantonment Boards, Civil Society Organizations, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Self Help Groups, Recognized Colleges/Universities and Corporate or associations like CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI included under the revised scheme

Beneficiaries

• Working women, who may be single, widowed, divorced, separated, married but whose husband or immediate family does not reside in the same city/area
• Particular preference may be given to women from disadvantaged sections of the society
• There should be also provision for reservation of seats for physically challenged beneficiaries
• Women who are under training for job provided the total training period does not exceed one year. This is only on the condition that there is vacancy available after accommodating working women. The number of women under training for job should not exceed 30% of the total capacity
• Girls up to the age of 18 years and boys up to the age of 5 years, accompanying working mothers will be provided accommodation, with their mothers.
• Working mothers may also avail of the services of the Day Care Centre, as provided under the scheme Income Limit, Rent and Period of Stay
• Working Women will be entitled to hostel facilities provided their gross income does not exceed Rs 30,000/- consolidated (gross) per month in metropolitan cities, or Rs 25,000/-consolidated (gross) per month, in any other place
• When the income of any working woman already residing in a hostel exceeds the prescribed limits, she will be required to vacate the hostel within a period of two months of crossing the income ceiling
• The implementing organisation will charge from the inmates of the working women’s hostel reasonable rent not exceeding 15% of their total emoluments/gross salary in the case of single bed rooms, 10% in case of the double bed rooms and 7 ½ % in the case of the dormitories
• Fees charged from the children in the Day Care Centre should not be more than 5% of the emoluments of their mother, or the actual expenditure whichever is less.