|
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) yesterday gave its approval for the extension of the Rural Women’s Development and Empowerment Project (Swa-Shakti Project) till June 30, 2005. In order to carry out winding up operations of the Project, the offices of the Central Project Support Unit (CPSU) and State Level Project Management Units (SPMUs) in the nine States will be permitted to continue the project for six months beyond June 30, 2005 at a total cost of Rs. 1.5 crore. It has also been decided to make such operational changes as will be necessary for implementation of the Project.
The Swa-Shakti Project is a Centrally sponsored scheme. Although the Project was launched in October’98, it was declared effective in April/May, 1999 by the funding agencies namely, the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The Project was initially operational in six States i.e. Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh across 35 Districts. At a later stage, three new States were added, namely, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal covering 19 districts.
It is a pilot Project to commence a long-term process to improve women’s economic and social status. This is the first Project in India through which the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) work as a mode of women’s development and empowerment has been made much more multi-dimensional, and participatory with the determined goal of alleviating poverty in a gradual but sure and subsidy-free manner. The overall goal of the Project is to strengthen the processes that promote economic development of women and create an environment for social change.
RK/HS/LV
|
