SWARNA JAYANTI SHAHARI ROZAGAR YOJANA (SJSRY)

• Implementation
  

The SJSRY rests on the premise of community empowerment. The CDS structure will provide the delivery system for the scheme. Identification of beneficiaries, selection of ,micro projects, preparation of applications, monitoring of recovery in the case fo economic development schemes, actual implementation in the case of housing and small local works and social audit mechanism in the case of implementation of larger public works would be through the CDS structure. In order to make the CDS self sufficient, they will all act as Thrift and Credit Societies. Local savings mobilised from members and non-members would be used to leverage greater flow of funds from banks and other financial institutions. However, non-members will not be entitled for any benefit from the society other than the opportunity for depositing their surpluses. Subject to resource availability, the lMunicipality can contribute at least Rs.100 per member to the CDS in the first year and Rs.75 per member in the subsequent years from SJSRY funds. The CDS system would act as a convergence mechanism for the delivery of various services and programmes meant for the same target group. This includes health, education, welfare, economic development and provision of minimum basic infrastructure.

• Planning process
  
  The planning process would start from below. At the NHG level, needs and possibilities of each family would be identified through a detailed survey. Gaps in the availability of basic needs at the local level would also be identified and prioritised based on clear norms giving weightage to poverty. These plans would be aggregated and integrated at the level of the ADS. At this level higher order facilities, larger infrastructural works etc., would be identified ant prioritised. The ADS Plan would be presented when the Ward - Committees meet. As far as the SJSRY, and National Slum Development Programme are concerned the prioritisation of the ADS shall not be changed. At the CDS level, the ADS Plans shall be integrated including Municipality-wide plans of action like marketing and training. The Municipality shall have a dialogue with the, CDS and take a decision on converging schemes other than SJSRY and NSDP and finalise- the integrated poverty alleviation sub-plan for the Municipality as a whole. This shall be presented separately in the annual budget as well as in the plan write up for the approval of District Planning Committee.

• Scheme components of SJSRY The SJSRY consist of two sub schemes -The Urban Self-Employment Programme and the Urban Wage Employment Programme.

• Self-Employment Programme (USEP)
  
  Components of USEP
  
  This Programme has three distinct components
  
  
  1. Assistance to individual urban poor beneficiaries for setting up gainful self -employment ventures.
  2. Assistance to groups of urban poor women for setting up gainful self employment ventures. This sub-scheme is called "The Scheme for Development of Women and Children in the Urban Areas (DWCUA)".
  3. Training of beneficiaries, potential beneficiaries and other persons associated with the urban employment programme for acquisition or upgradation of vocational and entrepreneurial skills.
     
     
  Coverage
  
  
  1. The programme, will be implemented in all the 58 urban towns 1including the three City Corporations of the State.
  2. The programme will be implemented on a- whole town basis with special emphasis on slums and other clusters, of urban poor.
  3. All urban poor families identified as described earlier are eligible for assistance under the scheme.
  4. Special attention will be given to women, persons belonging to Scheduled Castes/Tribes, disabled persons and other such categories as may be indicated by the Government from time to time,
     
     
     1. The percentage of women beneficiaries under this programme shall not be less than 50
        
     2. SCs and STs must be benefited at least to the extent of twice of their share in the local population based on the latest census.
     3. A special provision of 5% shall be reserved for the disabled under this programme till they are fully covered.
        
        

  5. There will be no minimum educational qualification for beneficiaries the programme. However to avoid an overlap with the PMRY scheme, for the self employment component, this scheme shall not apply to beneficiaries educated beyond the IX standard. However, if sufficient number of persons are not available in this category; persons with higher educational level can be selected if they have not availed themselves of any assistance under PMRY and do not intend to do so (covered through an undertaking). The list of such selected beneficiaries shall be sent to avoid duplication.

  6. All other conditions being equal, women beneficiaries belonging to woman-headed households shall be ranked higher in priority than other beneficiaries. For purposes of this section, women-headed households shall mean households which are headed by widows, divorcees or abandoned women, single women, or even households where women are the sole earners.
     

• Components Self-employment through setting up of Micro Enterprises and skill development
  

  This programme is to under-employed and unemployed Urban youth to set up small enterprises relating to servicing, petty business and manufacturing. For which there is a lot of potential in urban areas. Local skills and local crafts are to be encouraged for this purpose. Each CDS has to develop a compendium of such projects/activities keeping in view cost, marketability, economic viability etc. No training is required if the beneficiaries has already undergone training in the scale/trade from a registered NGO/VO, provided requisite certificate is produced to that effect. Training should also not be necessary if the beneficiary has traditionally acquired skills in activities like pottery making, cobblery, carpentry, iron-smithy etc. This aspect should however he certified by ULB before recommending / forwarding application to bank. Training should also not be necessary if a beneficiary has learnt a particular trade from private/public registered company, as apprentice or employee; certificate from the private/public registered company is to be produced.

  
  Project cost:
  

  Ordinarily the project cost would be Rs 50,000 per individual. But if two or more eligible persons join together in a partnership, projects with higher costs would also be allowed, provided the share of each person in the project cost is Rs 50,000 or less. The overall project cost will be the simple sum of individual project costs. More than one member in a household is eligible for assistance. But not more than two persons from one household need to be sanctioned assistance.

  • Subsidy:- Subsidy would be provided at the rate of 15% of the project cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 7500 per beneficiary. In case more than one beneficiary join together and set a project under partnership, subsidy would be calculated for each partners separately at the rate of 15% of his share in the project cost, limited to Rs 7500 per partner.
  • Margin Money: - Each beneficiary is required to contribute 5% of the project cost as margin money in cash.
  • Loan:- 95% of the project cost would be sanctioned as composite loan by bank at the rate of interest applicable to such priority sector loans fixed by Reserve Bank of India, from time to time.
  • Collateral Guarantee on Bank Loan:- The loan would not require any Collateral guarantee. Only assets created under the programme need be hypothecated/mortgaged/pledged to the bank advancing the loans.
    
    Repayment
    
    Repayment schedule ranges from 3 to 7 years after initial moratorium of 6 to 18 months as decided by bank. The CDS/Municipality will extend help to the banks for ensuring repayment of loans as per rules.
    
    Skill Development
    

    Skill development through appropriate training is another element of this programme. It is intended to provide training to the urban poor in a variety of service and manufacturing trades as well as in local skills and local crafts so that they can set up self employment ventures or secure salaried employment with enhanced remuneration. Training should also be imparted in vital components of the service sector like the construction trade and allied services like carpentry and plumbing and also in manufacturing low cost building materials based on improved local technology. Training institutions such as it is/Polytechnics/ETCs/Shramik Vidyapeets, Engineering Colleges and other suitable training institutions run by Government, private or voluntary organisation may be utilised and provided appropriate support for this purpose. The unit cost allowed for training skill is Rs.2000 per trainee, including material cost, trainers' fees, other miscellaneous expenses to be incurred by the training institution and the monthly stipend, to be paid to the trainee. The total training period for skill upgradation may vary from two to six months, subject to a minimum of 300 hours as given below:

    Norms for a Training Course:
    
    
    • Average size of training class = 25 trainees
    • Duration per training course = 300 hours* (Minimum)
    • Average expenditure on training
    • Including material cost = Rs.2000 Trainer's fees, other miscellaneous Expenses to be incurred by training Institution as well as monthly Stipend to trainee. 15% of the funds earmarked for training can be given as infrastructure support to the training institutions.
      
      
• Infrastructural support to micro enterprises in relation to marketing of products:
  

  Monthly expenditure on training per trainee including material cost, trainee's fees, tool kits and other miscellaneous expenses to be incurred by training institution as well as monthly stipend to trainee, may vary depending upon the trade and duration of training, subject to minimum stipend of Rs.100 per month and Rs.230 per month as training cost respectively. Infrastructure support may also be provided to beneficiaries setting up micro-enterprises in relation to marketing of their products etc. This can be accomplished by providing selling places for the poor in the form of kiosks and markets, setting up of "Urban Service Centre" for construction and other services, (like those provided by carpenters, plumbers, electricians, TV/Radio/Refrigerator mechanics who will be available to city residents on call), and through provision of weekend markets/evening markets in municipal grounds or on road sides on the one hand and technical assistance in relation to market surveys/trends, joint brand names/designs and advertising on the other hand. It is also proposed that a Service centre should be set up at the CDS level for those who have undergone skill upgradation training. Appropriate space should be provided to trained persons who can be asked to enroll themselves with the service centre so that they could be sent to attend day-to-day skilled training on call from citizens against appropriate payment fixed by the Community Development Society (CDS), Appropriate publicity may be done within the town regarding the facilities available under the Service Centre. Up to 10% of fund under USEP can be used for creation of this infrastructure. Tool Kits may also be provided to trainees who complete the training satisfactorily. The cost of tool kit should not exceed Rs.600 meeting the expense from Rs.200 per person allowed for training. In case the cost exceeds Rs.600 there is no objection to the excess amount met from funds other than this programme funds or even on beneficiary's contribution.
  
  Development of women and Children in Urban areas (DWCUA)
  
  This scheme is distinguished by the special incentive extended to urban poor women who are from the families under CDS who decide to set up self employment ventures in a group as opposed to individual effort. Groups of urban poor women shall take up an economic activity suited to their skill, training, aptitude and local condition. Besides generation of income, this group strategy shall strive to empower the urban poor women by making them independent by providing a facilitating atmosphere for self-employment. To be eligible for subsidy under this scheme, the DWCUA group should consist of at least 10 Urban poor women who may be members of the same or adjoining NHGs under ADS with entreprenuership. The group members must get to know each other well, understand the group strategy and also recognise the strength and the potential of each member of the group. The group shall select a leader and a joint leader from amongst the members. The group will also select its own activity because the future of the group will rest wholly on an appropriate selection. The DWCUA group shall open a separate bank a/c from which the loan is to be availed under the scheme and operated under the joint a/c of the group leader and joint leader from among the beneficiary group members. The DWCUA shall have a five member management committee with a representative of ADS (one governing committee member and RCV/NHG President). This is to help and guide the DWCUA to manage it affairs. But if the DWCUA group wants to manage its own affairs jointly by themselves, without the support of NHG or ADS, it may do so. The DWCUA group society shall be entitled to a subsidy of Rs.1,25,000 or 50% of the cost of project whichever is less. Group unit activities with 10 or more members can also be undertaken at NHG, ADS and CDS level.
  
  A. Revolving Fund for Thrift and Credit Society.
  
  The women members are entitled to a lump sum grant of Rs.25000 as revolving fund at the rate of Rs.1000 maximum per member who joint the thrift societies at NHG level. This revolving fund shall be available for the following:
  
  

  1. Purchases of raw materials and marketing.

  2. Infrastructure support for income generating and other groups activities.

  3. One time expense on child care activity. Recurring expenses like salary for staff etc. will not be payable.
  4. Expenses not exceeding Rs.500 to meet travel costs of group members for visit to banks etc. per annum.
  5. Where an individual member of a Thrift and Credit Society saves at least Rs.500 in a fixed deposit for 12 months with the society, she will be entitled to a subsidy of Rs.30 to be paid on her behalf towards a health/life/accident/any other insurance scheme for herself.
  6. Moreover, in cases where the member saves at least Rs.750 in a fixed deposit in 12 months, she will be entitled to a subsidy of Rs.60, at the rate of Rs.30 for the member herself and either Rs.30 for her husband towards health/life/accident/any other insurance or Rs.30 for any minor girl child in her family for health/accident insurance. This expense may also be debited to the revolving fund, and
  7. Any other expense allowed by the State as being necessary in group or society interest from time to time; like repairing of community well, repair of taps, repairing of community light.
     
     

  Thrift and Credit Society shall be entitled for payment of revolving fund not earlier than one year after its formation. In other words, only such a body in existence and functioning for at least one year shall be eligible for payment of the revolving fund. The decision whether a group has been in existence and functioning for more than one year shall be taken on the basis of examination of the record of the group as regards the number of meetings held, the collections made from members towards group savings, the regularity of collection, the role of the group in capacity building or training of its members etc. to be eligible. A certificate has to be issued by the Secretary of the Urban Local Body or the chartered accountant who audited the account of the CDS, to the effect that NHG thrift was in operation for more than one year with proper registers, ledgers, pass book etc.
  
  

  Urban Wage Employment Programme.
  
  Coverage
  
  

  This scheme is to be implemented in all towns have a population of less than 5 lakh as per the 1991 census. This would mean that in Kerala all the Municipal bodies other than Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi would be eligible for the scheme.
  
  Objective
  
  The basic objective of the scheme is to provide wage employment to those people below poverty line who are in need of such income, particularly during the lean season. While providing employment, durable community assets which are of continuing and direct benefit to the poor should be taken up. Only the basic needs infrastructure identified under the poverty alleviation sub-plan shall be taken up.
  
  Material-Labour Ratio
  
  The Material-Labour Ratio for the works taken up under the Programme shall be maintained at 60:40. However, if durable assets require a higher material component, it may be provided using Municipality's resources. The Urban Wage Employment Programme shall be dovetailed into State Sector Slum Development Programmes as well as National Slum Development Programmes. The work shall be implemented using rates fixed under the Public Works Rules applicable to Municipalities from time to time.
  
  Mode of Implementation

  The work shall be carried out by Beneficiary Committees. The ADS/CDS should be deemed to be a Beneficiary Committees for the purpose of implementation. Works which are beyond the capacity of the ADS to implement can be implemented by NGOs like Nirmithi Kendra or COSTFORD under the supervision of the ADS. While implementing the Wage Employment Programmes the following shall be observed:
  
  

  1. An Annexure to the estimate shall be prepared which explains in layman's language, the expected quantity and quality of materials to be used in the construction, their cost, the kind and quantum of labour input required and the wages expected to be paid.
  2. All documents like estimates, bills, vouchers, muster rolls, measurement books and payment documents are public documents which can be scrutinised by any person of the locality and copies of which can be had by payment actual photo-copying cost.
  3. Before the start of any work, the beneficiaries shall meet and select a Committee for executing the work. This Committee shall meet every week and verify the progress of work in all details.