SUPPORT TO TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN (STEP) GUIDELINES

INTRODUCTION

1. As per the 1991 census, there are 407.1 million women representing 47.1 percent of Country’s total population. Of those, 91.40 million are in work force and 90 percent of them are in the informal sector with no legislative protection and with worst condition of working. The National Commission for Self Employed Women and Women in the Informal Sector (1988) which made a situational review of women in the Informal Sector had suggested introduction of protective measures which would ensure guarantee of employment and income generation, minimum wages, welfare and support services, training and upgradation of skills, etc. Towards this end, a programme called ‘Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) was launched in 1986 as one of the measures to ensure well-being of women in the traditional informal sector.
2. The programme of STEP advocates the objective of extending training for upgradation of skills and sustainable employment for women through a variety of action oriented projects which employ women in large numbers. The Scheme covers 8 traditional sectors of employment, viz., Agriculture, Small Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries, Handlooms, Handicrafts, Khadi and Village Industries and Sericulture. Two more sectors, namely, Social Forestry and Waste Land Development have been added later.
3. Based on the experience gained from the implementation of the Scheme during the Seventh Plan period and in the subsequent years (1985-92) and also as per the advice given by the Ministry of Finance and the Planning Commission, it was decided to formulate the Scheme for strengthening of the existing programme components and thus made the programme for effective in achieving the envisaged objectives.
4. The Programme of STEP aims to make a significant impact on women in traditional sectors by upgrading skills and providing employment to such women on a project basis by mobilising women in viable groups, improving skills, arranging for productive assets, creating backward and forward linkages, improving/arranging for support services, providing access to credit, awareness generation, gender sensitization, nutrition, education, sensitisation of project functionaries. Thus, STEP advocates in integrated package of inputs aiming at the integrated development of poor women in traditional sectors. The ultimate endeavour of each project should be to develop the group to thrive on a self-sustaining basis in the market place with the minimal Governmental support and intervention after the project period is over.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the scheme are:-

Provide training for skill upgradation .Mobilising women in small viable groups and making facilities Available through training and access to credit,Enabilising groups of women to take up employment-cum-income generation programmes of their own, Provide support services for further improving training and Employment conditions of women

SERVICES

6. The scheme aims to providing an integrated package of the following services to women to enable them economically more viable, independent and raise their socio-economic status.

• Upgradation of skills through traiing,
• Better and sustainable employment opportunities,
• Backward and forward linkages,
• Facilitation of organisation of women,
• Support services with the coverage of:

• Health check-ups,
• Referral Services,
• Mobile creches,
• Education facilities.

TARGET GROUPS

7. The target group to be covered under the STEP Programme includes the marginalised, assetless rural women and urban poor. This include wage labourers, unpaid daily workers, female headed households, migrant labourers, tribal and other dispossessed groups. The beneficiaries under the projects will be poor or assetless marginalised women with special focus on SC/ST households, women headed households and families below the poverty line. Special attention will be paid to women living in focual districts already identified by this Department or through any exercise undertaken by any other Department or any institutiuon, or organisation to identify areas and regions and activities in which women are particularly disadvantaged.

IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES

8. The scheme is proposed to be implemented through Public Sector Organisations, District Rural Development Agencies, Federations, Co-operatives and Voluntary Organisations – Non-Governmental Voluntary Organisations working in rural areas with legal status as a society registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 or under the Corresponding State Acts. Recepients of financial assistance under STEP are required to be bodies, organisations or agencies working in rural areas, although their Headquarters may be located in an urban area. They must be registered atleast for 3 years (experience/existence in the sector concerned) at the time of approaching for assistance. Implementing agency will also identify a set of link agencies which would facilitate the implementation of the project through their expertise, resources and experiences. Link agencies would also include Voluntary Organisations; active in the field of employment and women’s development. While selecting non-governmental organisations as implementing agencies, it would be ensured that the selected organisations have adequate infrastructure and technical expertise in the sector, financial soundness with facilities, resources, experience and administrative capabilities for undertaking the project.

9. Women Development Corporations, wherever they exist, would be involved in identifying economically viable projects, preparing project report, arranging for required training, facilitating access to credit etc. Linkages with State Departments concerned and with the existing programmes of the State and the Central Government will be established so as to enable the beneficiaries to obtimally utilise their services. The implementing agency will be assisted by the State Department involved in Women’s Development to effectively co-ordinate to draw upon the resources of existing infrastructure and services under programme like ICDS, DWCRA, Mahila Samkhya, IRDP etc.

PROJECT FORMULATION

10. The first element of the project formulation exercise by the implementing agency would be to undertake an analysis of the sector proposed to ascertain the Socio-economic status and role of women in that Sector. The particular disadvantages and discrimination faced by women will be identified. The casual factors which lead to the exploitation and oppression of women in the Sector would be delineated clearly and the necessity and strategy for specific interventions will be prepared.

11. Special attention will be paid to pre-project activities including the conduct of benchmark survey which will be an essential pre-requisite for every project and would help in developing a data base from time to time for the assessment of the project performance with respect to various indicators developed and eventually in assessing the impact of the project on the status of women beneficiaries of the project. A meticulously conducted benchmark survey can generate valuable information on the women employed in the unorganised sector besides also helping identification of beneficiaries for the project.

12. In each of the project to be implemented under the scheme, one of the major concerns will be raising the standard of living of women and their families through the generation of additional income from the project’s economic activities. This will enable the beneficiary women and their families to rise above the poverty line. Each project proposal will be required to work out the viability of the economic activity and clearly specify the expected rise in the income level of women beneficiaries. Thus, this rise in income will also be one of the indicators for deciding upon the improvement in the Socio-economic well being of the women.

13. As a part of the Project Formulation Exercise, the implementing agency will have to ensure that inputs relating to Health and Nutrition Education, Adult Literacy, Awareness Generation and Women’s Rights, Health Checkups etc. would be provided to the beneficiaries of STEP Projects in consultation with State Health, Departments, Directorates of Adult Education, Central Social Welfare Board and State Social Welfare Advisory Boards to ensure that all round capacity building of women beneficiaries takes place. The Project range may vary from 500 to 10,000 beneficiaries per project.

NORMS

14. The Programme will be implemented in the Sectors of Agriculture, Dairying, Fisheries, Small Animal Husbandry, Khadi and Village Industries, Handlooms, Handicrafts, Sericulture, Social Forestry and Wasteland Development. As the Programme is to cover the various sectors different from Project to Project. It has been, therefore, decided that the NABARD approved norms will be made applicable to the projects to be sanctioned under STEP Scheme. In the areas/in the cases of the Projects where NABARD Norms are not available the advice of the concerned Technical Ministry will be obtained before a project is sanctioned with the approval of the Project Sanctioning Committee. In sanctioning Projects, it will be ensured that the tapering Budget is prepared so that the project becomes sustainable of its own on the completion of the term of a Project.

PROJECT SANCTIONING COMMITTEE

15. The Project Sanctioning Committee will be handed by the Secretary, Department of Women & Child Development. It will have representatives from the Planning Commission and Central Government Departments concerned with the subject matter of the proposals. State Government’s representatives representatives from NIPCCD, will also participate in this Committee.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

16. The functionaries of the implementing agencies and the link agencies and the voluntary organisations involved would initially be given a suitable orientation towards the scope, objectives and requirement under the projects for the effective implementation of the project. Sensitisation towards women’s issues will be an integral part of training at all levels including the project implementing agencies and the beneficiaries as well.

17. Women will be given training on various aspects, including group formation, skill upgradation, management of the primary producer groups and co-operatives, enterpreneurship skills, marketing, awarness of their rights and gender concern etc. so as the equip them to face, overcome and resolve their eceonomic and social constraints and problem at their own level and to promote genuine empowerment. This is the basic approach towards the evaluation of the status of women.

18. The implementting agency in the Project formulation will outline the training arrangements of the beneficiaries, extension workers, field supervisors and technical staff, etc cost of estimates, etc. No additional training institute will be established. The existing infrastructure already available will be uplifted. NIPCCD will coordinate the training arrangements and ensure that the training is imparted not only in the technical trade to upgrade the skills of market managements, but also in gender senitisation, gender awareness, including legal literacy and conscientisation.

19. Strong forward and backward linkages will be essential to ensure the viability and success of the economic activities of the project in the sector. The implementing agency will help for the provision of raw materials, ensure proper marketing and tie-ups for marketing of the produce during the project period and help the groups of women under the project to manage these activities within the group once the project is over. The implementing agency will help up in tying-up credit facilities. The women’s groups should not be wholly captive to Government Corporations for marketing their products in the interest of making the groups self-sustaining in their rural set up. One of the project objective will be to ensure that these group are able to develop and thrive on a self-sustaining basis in the market place, with the minimal of Governmental and formal support and intervention.

PATTERN OF ASSISTANCE

20. The pattern of assistance for the Scheme will be as follows:-

1. 100 % Assistance

• Project Staff and Administrative cost,
• Training-Stipend, Training of Trainers, Skill upgradation/reinforcement, Training-cum-Production Centres and Raw Material for Training.
• Support to members for formation of Co-operative Societies, producers, workers co-operatives, leading to formal legal organisations,
• Support services-Education, General Awarenees, health care, sanctation, nutrition/creche facilities for dependent children. Wherever convergence of these services are not available will be provided as part of the project cost.
• Marketing support-Marketing/Sales Personnel, Stock provision and buyers, credit godowns, marketing outlets, quality control and managerial support

(b) 50% Assistance

Construction of individual worksheds and prodocution centres not related with training-50% of the total cost on this component will be borne by the Government of India and 50 % will have to be brone by the implmenting agency.

(c) Working capital/raw material requirements

Financial Assistance will be provided for working capital and raw material in a phased manner starting with 100 % during the first year, 50% in the Second Year and 30% in the Third year of the project. This phasing is considered essential to minimise the otherwise exorbitant costs and also with the ultimate aim of the STEP project to make these projects self-sufficient or reach them to status where the beneficiaries of the STEP project will meet their requirements as an individual to meet its credit requirements from Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, NABARD,Capart and other credit institutions like nationalised Banks and Co-operatives. The Implementing agencies will have to arrange for credit after the project is over as these projects are of the nature of cateytic agents for the developmental aspects.

21. In percentage terms funding pattern will be restricted in the following manner of the total project cost.

In % age terms

1. Administration and the project staff cost 6%

2 . Training-Technical (Skill) and orientation of beneficiaries 20% and project functionaries

3. Infrastructure including marketing support quality control and managerial support 25%

4.Raw Material for Training including equipment and other material required for training 25%

5.Establishment of Development Co-operatives wherever required-mobilisation and strengthening of field level setups where such support is not available through the existing setup 10%

6.Support Services(wherever such support services are not available or cannot be converged 8%

7.+ Overriding cost @ 6%

CONVERGENCE OF SERVICES

22. The Scheme not only aims at imparting training for the upgradation of skills to enhance the income of beneficiaries, but also a package of services consisting of health checkup, nutrition, non-formal education, legal literacy, education, mobile creaches gender sensitisation and gender awareness, etc. These services are to be converged in the STEP areas through existing programme of various other Ministreries/Departments like Health, Education, Rural Development, women & Child Development, CSWB and the State Government/Union Territory Administrations.

PROJECT MONITORING & SUPERVISION

23. Each Project will have its own Management Information System (MIS), Monitoring Committees for each project will be set up by the implementing agency will representatives from the Department of Women & Child Development, State Government Departments concerned, and representatives of CSWB/SSWAB and from the link agencies and persons from academic and other institutions who are specialised in the sector concerned for the project under implementation. Review of the Progress of the Project on a regular basis will be done by this committee. The committee will meet as frequently as required but once in three months. Each project is expected to maintain a PERT Chart (Programme, Evaluation and Review Technique) about the progress of the project since the time of its sanction to the stage of stabilisation and returns. Each implementing agency will submit the QPR in the prescribed proforma (Annexure-III) to the Department of Women & Child Development as well. The Department will also hold regular Review Meeting on half yearly basis, to assess the cost benefit of the effectiveness of each of the project with respect to the parameters of number of women covered, trained and employed; availablity of credit from financial institutions; socio-economic group of women covered (SC/ST women below the poverty line etc); increase in production/productivity and levels of income; creation of assets during the period and employment opportunities created on adhoc or sustainable basis. Concurrent evaluation will be an integral part of the scheme as a whole and will be carried out through an independent agency.

PEOJECT EVALUATION AND ROLE OF RESOURCE AGENCIES

24. The machanism of concurrent evaluation will be built into the scheme as a whole and will be carried out through an independent agency. The evaluation will be undertaken to assess both the sectoral impact of the STEP programmes and the impact of each of the projects being implemented on the status of women beneficiaries. A research or specialised organisation with appropriate knowledge and experience in evaluating employment oriented programmes will be selected for undertaking in concurrent evaluation. One or more Resource agencies will be identified to provide resource support to the scheme for evaluation of the scheme as a whole from time to time and for individual projects of necessary. The Resource Agencies which will be specialised organisations in the non-governmental or governmental sectors, in the field of women’s welfare and development would also undertake the task of imparting orientation training at all levels in the STEP projects. Essentially, the role of the Resource agency will be similar to the tole being played by the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) Hyderabad with respect to the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) being implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development.

DURATION OF THE PROJECT

25. A particular project will be for a duration of 2-4 years depending upon the nature, kind of activities and the number of beneficiaries to be undertaken.

RELEASE OF FUNDS

26.  On approval of the project by the Project Sanctioning Committee the grant shall be released to the agency to cover the non-recurring expenditure and 50% of the recurring expenditure of the first year. Subsequently, grants will be released on the annual basis amounting to 50% of the year’s grnat on receipt of accounts duly certified by a Chartered Accountant/or authorised auditors and utilisation certificates in the prescribed form (Annexure-IV) attached.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. The grantee organisation will be required to execute a bond on a prescribed form. The bond should be supported by two sureties.

2. An agency in receipt of financial assistance shall be open to inspection by an Officer of the department of Women & Child Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development or the State Social Welfare/Women and Child Development Departments, CSWB, State Social Welfare Advisory Board and other agencies authorised by the Government of India to do so. The organisation must comply with the instructions issued in respect of project sanctioned or the information asked for and comply with the instructions issued by this Department from time to time.
3. The accounts of the project shall be maintained properly and separately and submitted as and when required. They should be open to check by an officer deputed by the Government of India or the State Government or UT Administrations. They shall also be open to a test check by the Comptroler and Auditor General of India at his discretion.
4. The audited accounts together with utilisation certificate in the prescribed form duly countersigned by the Chartered Accountants are required to be furnished within six months in respect of a preceding year or after expiry of the duration for which grant is approved.
5. The agency shall maintain a record of all assets acquired wholly or substantially out of Government grant and maintain a register of such assets in the prescribed proforma. Such assets shall not be disposed or encumbered or utilised for purposes other than for which grant was given without prior sanction of the Government of India . Should the agency cease to exist at any time, such properties shall revert to the Government of India.
6. The institution must exercise reasonable economy in the working of the approved project.
7. The grantee agency shall furnish to the Ministry of Human Resource Development reports as may be prescribed.
8. The decision of the Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Women & Child Development on the question whether there has been breach or violation of any of the terms and conditions mentioned in the sanction letter shall be final and binding on the grantee.

ANNEXURE-1

SUPPORT TO TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN

APPLICATION FORM

(Applications not complete in all respects are liable to be rejected)

Part-1

ORGANISATIONAL DETAILS

NON-RECURRING

(RUPEES IN LAKHS)

RECURRING COST

30. Cost sharing details

(TOTAL OF NON-RECURRING AND RECURRING COSTS)

Date:

Place : (SIGNATURE)

ORGANISATION’S STAMP

( To be filed by the State Government in respect of State level or local organisations)

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT

The application from.....................................................................................

(institution/ organisation is forwarded duly recommended to the Department of Women & Child Development, Government of India with the following comments.

1. That a senior officer of the .............................................................................................Department has visited the institution/organisation and a copy of the report is atteached/has not visited the institution/organisation.
2. That the institution/organisation is recognise and/or registered(under Indian Socieities registration Act,1860) That the application has been examined and that it is found to be covered under the Scheme.
3. That the scheme for which the application is being recommended is absolutely essential for categories of women as envisaged under the scheme.
4. That the work of the institution/organisation has been reported (wherever such reporting is necessary ) as satisfactory during the last two years by the District authorities.
5. That the institution/organisation is not run for profit to any individual or a body of individuals.
6. That assistance has/has not been given by the State Government. In the former case, details of grant sanctioned during the last five years for the purpose may be given.

The State Government recommends that the following grants may be given by the Department of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Human Resouce Development

(Rs. in Lakhs)

Signature

Designation

Office Stamp

ANNEXURE III

(To be submitted of Quarterly basis for period ending June, September, December and March)

Part – A

1. Title of the Project
2. Implementing Agency
3. Location of the Project
4. Objectives of the Project
5. Duration of the Projject
6. Component-wise estimated
7. cost of the Project
8. Component-wise amount
9. spend so far cumulative)
10. Reasons for shortfall, if any
11. Targetted No.of beneficiaries
12. No.of Actual beneficiaries
13. No.of villages covered
14. Criteria for selection
15. Criteria for selection of
16. beneficiaries
17. Increase in the income of  beneficiaries during quarter

PART-B

1. Component-wise Budget
2. Allocation for the year
3. Activity areas

1. Name of activity
2. Beneficiaries
   1. Rural
   2. Urban
   3. Total
3. Working hours per day
4. Average income per day
5. Production
   1. During the month
   2. So far
6. Sale
   1. During the month
   2. So far

PART-C

1. Estimated Budgetory Allocations

PART-D

1. Loan-Credit extended to

   Beneficiaries

PART-E

PHYSICAL TARGETS/ACHIEVEMENTS(CUMULATIVE)

PART-F

FINANCIAL BENEFITS TO WOMEN MEMBERS FROM THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY

PART-G

1. Other Developmental Programmes including Awareness Generation Programme (AGP)

    

PART-H

1. Link Agencies

1. Number of Agencies
2. Names of the Linked agencies

1. NDDB
2. Welfare Department
3. Health Department
4. AH & Fisheries
5. Others

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION

PART-I

1. Supervision and Coordination

Progress with reference to Non- quantifiable inputs, i.e., mobilisation, awareness generation and integration of the services

PART-J

TO BE FILLED UP BY THE PROJECT DIRECTOR

1. Observation/comments
2. Problems
3. Suggestions

   (PROJECT DIRECTOR)

Date:

ANNEXURE –I

SUPERVISION AND COORDINATION

ANNEXURE-II

The impact of the project on non-quantifiable activities are:-

1. Self confidence in rural women to manage their own institutions.
2. Gradual and radical change in the traditional system of social (family barrier to remain indoors)
3. Sense of responsibility for income generation
4. Exposure/Knowledge to essential needs of life like- child immunisation, maternal and child health care, importance of nutritious food/clean drinking water, self hygiene and family planning, child spacing programme.
5. Self motivation and mobilisation to participate in different types of training programme within the Village/District/Commissionery/State and any other part of the country.
6. Demands/grievances for maternal health care, child immunisation, child and adult education, activities related to cottage industries etc.

UTILISATION CERTIFICATE

I have verified the accounts of...........................................................................................(name of grantee organisation) in respect of the grant of Rs..............released by the Department of Women and Child Development vide Department’s sanction no..........dated................ for .........................................................for the............................(name of the scheme) period...................................................................with the help of   vouchers and certify that they are correct and that an amount of Rs................................has been utilised upto.......................for the purpose for which it was sanctioned.

(CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT)

(Please see guidelines for certifying the accounts and endorsing utilisation certificate  in respect of Government grants)

(GUIDELINES FOR CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS/GOVERNMENT AUDITORS)

To Auditors certifying the accounts and endorsing Utilisation Certificates in respect of Government grants should bear in mind the following points.

1. If the number of beneficiaries in the STEP Project is below/above the prescribed, the expenditure will vary accordingly at the prescribed rate agreed to by the Project Sanctioning Committee.
2. A separate register for inventories e.g. equipments, machinery, furniture and other assets be maintained indicating the value of the items at the time of purchase, in GFR-FORM-19
3. In case a particular post has been lying vacant for specified period the salaries against that should not be claimed.
4. The Accounts for Department of Women & Child Development grants for STEP project should be prepared separately. If this is not possible, the expenditure towards this scheme should be shown separately under the Head "Support to Training and Employment". As far as possible, only the expenditure incurred for the admissible items should be reflected clearly under each sub-head incorporated in the schematic pattern.

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