Grants to NGOs for welfare of Child and Women Labour

Grant in Aid for NGOs on Child Labour

Grant-in-aid scheme provides financial assistance to organisations (voluntary and non-governmental) for taking up action programmes/projects for the benefit of child labour & women labour.

Introduction

• The Ministry of Labour has been financing, since 1981-82, voluntary organizations by way of grant-in-aid for taking up action oriented projects for the benefit of child labour and women labour.
• The phenomenon of child labour is due to socio-economic compulsions. Government’s policy is, therefore, to prohibit child labour in hazardous employment and regulate their working conditions in other employment /occupations. The working children are deprived of the basic requirements for their development, such as, education, health-care, nutrition etc. The purpose underlying the Scheme is to identify child labour and to make available welfare inputs to them through voluntary organizations.
• Economic independence of women is one of the basic factors which can ensure equal status for women. A clear cut and well defined policy relating to women’s employment was, for the first time, embodied in the Sixth Five Year Plan. This has been repeated in the Seventh Plan which emphasis income generating schemes for women to enable them to participate actively in socio-economic development.

To achieve the above objective, Government has also been laying stress on the involvement of voluntary organizations in the development process. The women’s cell in the Ministry of Labour, thus encourages voluntary agencies and non-governmental agencies to formulate income-generating schemes and other action projects for women labour and renders financial assistance to such agencies for executing these projects.

Scope of Assistance

• The amount of assistance given by the Ministry of Labour for taking up action-oriented projects aimed at benefiting child labour and women labour will be restricted to 75% of the recurring cost of the project as per the approved budget. The remaining 25% of the cost including the non-recurring cost, if any, will have to be borne by the organization concerned.
• Duration of assistance will depend on each project and will be for a maximum of 5 years and will be generally restricted to the currency of the Five Year Plan. Sanction will, however be accorded for a maximum period of three years at a time. Releasing of grants for the project after a year will be subject to fulfillment of prescribed terms and conditions.
• In the event of assistance being available from any other source including international organizations like ILO, UNICEF, etc. for taking up the action programme on a multi-aided approach, total assistance will not exceed the ceiling mentioned

Eligibility

The organization should be:

• A society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, or
• A public trust registered under any law for the time being in force, or
• A registered trade union, or
• A Charitable Company licensed under Section 25 of the Companies Act, or
• University/Institutions of higher learning.

In the case of a voluntary organization:

• The organization should be such that its welfare and other programmes relating to child labour and women labour are accessible to the target group without any distinction or caste, religion or language.
• The organization should be in a sound financial position and it should have the capability of executing programmes effectively and smoothly. A minimum annual expenditure on items of recurring nature of the order of Rs. 50,000/-approximately during the last 3 years would, interalia, be considered indicative in this respect.
• The organization should have three years of practical experience in the implementation of welfare programmes.

Type of Activities -Financial Assistance

Child Labour

• Welfare of child labourers through Special Schools (in Non-National Child Labour Project Districts) providing welfare inputs like formal education, stipend, vocational training, provision of health care and nutrition.
• Preventive measures to discourage further accretion of children into employment.

Women Labour

• Organising working women and educating them about their rights duties. Legal aid to working women.
• Training and skill development with a view to provide gainful self-employment, encouraging formation of co-operation societies of women workers.
• Seminars, workshops etc. aiming at raising the general consciousness of the society about the problems of women labours.

For More Information: Grant in Aid on Child Labour Scheme (194KB)

Grant in Aid Scheme to NGOs for welfare of Women Labour

The Ministry of is running a Grant-in-aid Scheme for the welfare of women labour. This Scheme, which has been continuing since Sixth Five Year Plan (1981-82), is administered through voluntary organizations by giving grant-in-aid to them for the following purposes:

• Organizing working women and educating them about their rights/duties, Legal aid to working women
• Seminars, workshops, etc. aiming at raising the general consciousness of the society about the problems of women labour

Under this Scheme, Voluntary Organizations/NGOs are being provided funds by way of grants-in-aid to take up action-oriented projects for the benefit of women labour. Projects relating to awareness generation campaigns for women labour are funded under this Scheme. The focus of the Scheme is awareness generation among women labour, in the area of wages, like minimum wages, equal remuneration, etc. to disseminate information on various schemes of Central/State Government Agencies available for the benefit of women labour.

This Scheme was introduced with the intention of furthering Government’s policy of helping women workers become aware of the rights and opportunities available to them under various Schemes of the Government. Proposals of VOs/NGOs for providing grant-in-aid for undertaking awareness generation campaigns on women labour will be considered under this Scheme subject to their suitability.

As per the provisions of the Scheme, grants-in-aid is being provided as 75% of the total cost of the project. However, the projects relating to studies entrusted to various institutes are funded in full, i.e., 100%. To access the revised guidelines, click here.

Source : Grant-in-aid Scheme for the welfare of women labour