Working Women Hostel

Background

With the progressive change in the socio-economic fabric of the country more and more women are leaving their homes in search of employment in big cities as well as urban and rural industrial clusters. One of the main difficulties faced by such women is lack of safe and conveniently located accommodation. The Government of India being concerned about the difficulties faced by such working women, introduced a scheme in 1972-73 of grant-in- aid for construction of new/ expansion of existing buildings for providing hostel facilities to working women in cities, smaller towns and also in rural areas where employment opportunities for women exist. Based on an evaluation, the existing scheme has been revised to promote availability of safe and conveniently located accommodation for working women who need to live away from their families due to professional commitments.

Objective

The objective of the scheme is to promote availability of safe and conveniently located accommodation for working women, with day care facility for their children,wherever possible, in urban, semi urban, or even rural areas where employment opportunity for women exist. The scheme is assisting projects for construction of new hostel buildings,expansion of existing hostel buildings and hostel buildings in rented premises. The working women’s hostel projects being assisted under this scheme shall be made available to all working women without any distinction with respect to caste, religion, marital status etc.,subject to norms prescribed under the scheme. While the projects assisted under this scheme are meant for working women, women under training for job may also be accommodated in such hostels subject to the condition that taken together, such trainees should not occupy more than 30% of the total capacity the hostel and they may be accommodated in the hostels only when adequate numbers of working women are not available. Children of workingwomen, up to the age of 18 years for girls and up to the age of 5 years for boys may be accommodated in such hostels with their mothers.

Beneficiaries

Following categories of working women and their children are being covered under this Scheme:

• 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 are entitled to hostel facilities provided their gross income does not exceed Rs. 50,000/- consolidated (gross) per month in metropolitan cities, or Rs 35,000/-consolidated (gross) per month, in any other place. When the income of any workingwoman already residing in a hostel exceeds the prescribed limits, she will be required to vacate the hostel within a period of six months of crossing the income ceiling.The implementing organisation charges 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.

The rent for women under training for job shall not exceed the rent to be charged from the working women. The rent for such trainees may be charged from the institution/organization sponsoring the training or from the woman herself. The rent does not include use of the mess and other facilities like washing machines for which user charges should be collected.As far as practicable, women with children are accommodated in single/ doublebed rooms instead of dormitory.No working woman is allowed to stay in a hostel, assisted under this scheme for more than three years. In exceptional circumstances, the District Administration may,for reasons to be recorded in writing, allow working women to stay in a hostel, beyond the three year period, subject to the condition that the period of extension, shall not exceed six months at one time, and that the total stay of the woman, with extensions, shall not exceed five years.

Eligibility Criteria

The following agencies/ organisations can apply assistance under the scheme:

• State Government agencies including Women Development Corporations,Women Finance Corporations etc.
• Urban Municipal Bodies including Cantonment Boards
• Panchayati Raj Institutions
• SHGs (Self Help Groups)
• Recognized Colleges/ Universities
• Civil Society Organisations having proven track record of working in the fields of women’s welfare/ social welfare/ women’s education subject to the condition that such organization is registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860 or any relevant State Act; Public Trusts registered under any law for the time being in force, and Co- operative institutions meeting the following criteria:
• It should be either recognized by the State/ UT administration under any existing scheme/law or should be well known with the experience of working in the field for at least 3 years, and its work should be reported to be satisfactory by the State Government/ Union Territory Administration concerned,
• It should have a properly constituted Managing Body with its powers, duties and responsibilities clearly defined and laid down,
• It should ordinarily have been engaged in the field of women’s welfare/ social welfare/ women’s education for a minimum period of three years prior to there quest for grant- in-aid under the scheme,
• Its financial position should be sound and it should have facilities, resources,personnel and experience to undertake the management of such a project,
• It should run the hostel and the Day-care Centre for pre-school children on a no profit basis.
• Corporate or associations like CII, ASSOCHAM, FICCI etc., subject to the condition that the other working women are also provided accommodation in the hostel under this scheme in addition to their female employees.
• Ministry of Women and Child Development and the State Governments may construct hostels on their own, and lease them to organization(s) having experience for such period(s) as deemed sufficient, for managing its operations as per norms of the scheme. State Govt. may seek assistance as per the prescribed norms of the scheme.