Nai Roshni Scheme - Objectives and Features

Nai Roshni Scheme – Objectives and Features

Question - Minority communities in India must benefit from sound policies for uniform economic growth and good governance. Discuss the main objectives and features of the Nai Roshni Scheme in this context.

Nai Roshni is a scheme for leadership development of minority women.

Objectives:

• Empower and install confidence in women of minority communities by equipping them with knowledge, tools and techniques to interact with government systems, banks and intermediaries

• Encouraging minority community women to move out of the home and assume leadership roles within the community

Features

• Organisations eligible under the scheme for applying for financial assistance include:

(a) Society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

(b) Public Trust registered under any law for the time being in force.

(c) Private limited non-profit company registered under Section 25 of the Indian Companies Act

(d) Universities/ Institutions of higher learning recognised by UGC

(e) Training institutes of Central and State Government/UT Administration including Panchayati
Raj Training institutes.

(f) Duly registered Cooperative Societies of Women/ Self Help Groups.

• The scheme will be implemented through the above organisations with the aid of Ministry of Minority Affairs

• Leadership development training modules will be developed pertaining to rights of women in education, employment, livelihood etc; these will be used to empower women

• Specific training modules will also be based on local needs and issues faced by women from the minority community

• Training modules will include audio visual aids and case studies and qualities of leadership will form an integral part of the training

• Outside agencies may also be engaged for preparation of training modules

• Committee will also be there for approving training modules

The organisations will undertake the following activities:

a. Selection of villages and urban localities where scheme is to be implemented

b. Identification of women for training and selection criteria

c. Administration of non residential and residential training for women from minority communities

• The scheme Nai Roshni has been implemented from the year 2012-2013

• Scheme aims to empower minority women and it is chiefly implemented through NGOs

• Under current guidelines, scheme is implemented through Gram Panchayat at village level and local urban bodies at district level

• It is also telecast in electronic media in Hindi and regional languages

Facts and Stats

Other similar schemes implemented for welfare of minority community include

• Multi sectoral Development Programme (MsDP): Aimed at improving the socioeconomic condition of minorities and providing utilities/amenities to them

• Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme: Scholarships are awarded to minority students up to class X,

• Post-matric Scholarship Scheme: Scholarships are awarded to minority students from class XI onwards

• Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students: Integrated five year fellowships in the form of financial assistance to minority students for higher studies such as M.Phil and Ph.D

• Merit-cum Means based Scholarship: Financial assistance to the poor and meritorious minority students pursuing professional studies

• Padho Pardesh scheme: Interest subsidy on education loans for global studies for the students belonging to the Minority communities.

• Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for Welfare of Minorities: Covers various schemes of concerned Ministries/Departments by allocating 15% of physical targets/financial outlays for the minorities or via specific monitoring of flow of benefits