Government And Non-Government Organizations

GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS

A major percentage of Indian population lives in rural areas. Government and Non-governmental agencies play major role in planning and implementing programs for the development of the deprived section of our population, which constitutes mainly of women and children. Some of these programs have been discussed in the following pages.

Tamilnadu Corporation for Development of Women Limited (TNCDW Ltd.)

In partnership with non-governmental organisations, banks, training institutions, and educational institutions the TNCDW is implementing various development programs for women in Tamil Nadu since 1983.

The mission of this is Empowerment of women through collective action, skills upgradation for social and economic development.

This Corporation manages the following schemes:

Annai Bangaru Ammaiyar Ninaivu Mahalir Thittam - a project to socially and economically empower poor women.

Vocational Training Programmes - women are trained in a trade and assisted in placement in a selected job subsequently.

Entrepreneurship Development Program - to train women in the art of entrepreneurship and starting small enterprises.

Empower women and adolescent girls through increased awareness to take better care of their personal and house hold health and nutrition issues.

Package of Services include

Growth Promotion

Selective supplementary nutrition

Early childhood care and pre-school education

Nutrition and health education

Health services by health personnel

Referral services.

Under the Nutrition Delivery Services

Supplementary food (Sathumavu) is given to selected children, mothers and pregnant women. For every 5000 population one health sub-center functioning which is looked after by a village health nurse, who in turn renders all the health services to the rural population. Communication activities have succeeded to greater extent in imparting knowledge.

Women's recreation centers provide a location for rural women to relax and exchange ideas.

World Bank Assisted Integrated Child Development Services III Project (ICDS)

In continuation of Tamil Nadu Integrated Nutrition Project II (TINP) government of India gave their approval to implement the ICDS scheme with effect from 1st January 1998 in all the 318 Blocks for a period of 5 years. Specific objectives of World Bank Assisted ICDS III Project are,

Improve nutrition, health and psycho-social status of 0-6 years of age with particular emphasis in preventing malnutrition in under 3 years and improve child care practices at the house hold level.

Improve nutrition and health of women particularly pregnant and lactating mothers and adolescent girls and changing attitude and creating desirable changes in several health and nutrition behavioral issues. Pre-school education is one of the major activities of this scheme. Monitoring and evaluation of the project at various levels is performed regularly.

Department of Social Defence

The Government of Tamil Nadu is entrusted with the task of providing services for the development of children found in difficult circumstances and the girls and women requiring care, treatment and rehabilitation. This includes institutional and non-institutional services. The Department is also involving the non-governmental organisation in all programs to ensure protection of the rights of the children and for their congenial development.

The Director of Social Defence is the coordinator for the non-governmental organization implementing programs for drug abuse control and prevention, funded by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.

Beneficiaries of this program are

Neglected children

Delinquent children

Street children

Children abused

Stranded girls

Women and girls in moral danger

Swarna Jayanthi Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)

Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP) was the self-employment program to start with. Over the years, a number of allied programmes were added such as Training of Rural youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM), Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA), etc. Due to absence of linkages among these programs Government of India decided to restructure the self-employment programmes. These programmes and the Million Wells Scheme (MWS) were merged into one comprehensive program called SGSY. This is a holistic program covering all aspects of self-employment such as organization of the poor into self-help groups, training, credit, technology, infrastructure, and marketing. The products for marketing are named 'Poomalai'.

Solutions - Child labour

International commitments - India has accepted the Convention on The Rights of the Child, concluded by the U.N General Assembly. The International Labour Organization has been playing an important role in the process of gradual elimination of child labour and to protect the child from individual exploitation. The Government is determined to eliminate all forms of child labour by 2020. Indeed, poverty eradication combined with educational forms to provide free or-affordable access to quality education with an interesting, innovative and job-oriented curriculum for all, can effectively eliminate child labour once and for all.

Women's Voluntary Service (WVS)

The main objective of this organization is to promote welfare activities for the poor. Many functional literacy centers are functioning in and around Chennai. They also have economic and developmental programs. This organization is aided by State Social Welfare Board.

Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB)

Under this program, voluntary institutions are extended financial assistance for a variety of welfare activities for children, women, handicapped, aged and infirm, to strengthen and improve the existing services and also to take up new services coming within the purview of the Board.

Welfare Services to children includes

Residential Institutions for children

Short-Stay Home

Creches / Balwadi etc.

Welfare Services for women

Institutional or residential house for destitute, widows in distress.

Short stay homes

Family counselling

Maternity center

Vocational training

Literacy and recreational services

Welfare for the handicapped.

Institutional and Rehabilitation centers for various disabilities.

Hostels for working handicapped persons.

IV. Welfare Services in Medical Institutions.

Welfare Service for the aged and infirm, Home for the senior civilization.

VI. Rehabilitation for the cured leprosy and T.B. Patients.

Special welfare measures for women and children

The main focus of programmes for women is to ensure their social and economic empowerment. The strategy comprises attitudinal change towards girl child, education, training, employment, support services and emphasis on women's rights and law.

Indira Mahila Yojana (IMY): The IMY which aims at empowerment of women was launched during 1995-1996 in 200 blocks. Based on the findings of the Joint Study Team of the Planning Commission, to recast IMY with the awareness generation and training component has recently been approved to overcome the existing weaknesses, as a mid-term correction. The Mahila Samriddhi Yojana (MSY) has been merged with IMY.

The MSY was launched in 1993. Under MSY every rural adult woman was encouraged to have her MSY account in the post office, which has jurisdiction over her village. For an amount of Rs. 300 in a year, the government contributes 25 per cent as incentive. The main aim of the programme was to promote thrift among women and to empower them with control over their household assets.

Balia Samriddhi Yojana: The BSY, launched in 1997 with the specific aim of changing the community's attitude towards the girl child has been further recast in June 1999. Earlier, the mother of a girl child born on or after August 15, 1997 in a family below the poverty line in rural and urban areas was given a grant of R. 500. In the recast scheme, the post-delivery grant of Rs. 500 per child is deposited in an interest-bearing account in the name of the newborn girl child. In addition, the benefit of scholarships approved will also be deposited in the same account.