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There has been persistent demand from State Boards and voluntary organizations to
allocate at least one course for each Block in the country.
(4) Family Counselling Centers (FCC): The scheme of Family Counseling Centers was
introduced by CSWB in 1983. The Centers provide counseling, referral and rehabilitative
services to women and children who are victims of atrocities, family maladjustment and
social ostracism and also provide crisis intervention and trauma counseling in case of
natural disasters. The Centers also create awareness and mobilize public opinion on social
issues affecting status of women. The FCCs work in close collaboration with the local
administration, police, courts, free legal aid cells, medical and psychiatric institutions,
vocational training centers and short stay homes.
(5) Family Counselling Centers for Special Categories of Clients: FCCs have also been
instituted for those clients who need special attention because of their stressful/ traumatic
life experiences. These centers were set up as: a) FCCs at Police Headquarters b) FCCs in
Mahila Jails c) Rape Crisis Intervention Centers d) Pre-marital Counseling Centers e)
Centers for Devadasis and in Red Light Areas
(6) Short Stay Homes for Women and Girls (SSH): The scheme, launched in 1969, is
meant to provide temporary accommodation, maintenance and rehabilitative services to
women and girls who become homeless due to family discord or crime. Grant-in-aid is
provided under this scheme to voluntary organizations to run Short Stay Homes.
Temporary shelter to the needy women and girls in need of shelter is given for 5 months to 3
years. Children accompanying the mother or born in the home are permitted to stay in the
home up to the age of 7 years, after which they are transferred to children institutions or
provided foster care services.
(7) Working Women’s Hostels (WWH): Central Social Welfare Board provides
maintenance grants to voluntary organizations for running Hostels for Working Women
belonging to the lower income group. The budget include honorarium for Matron and
Chowkidar. Expenditure difference between the rent realized from inmates, rent paid by
institution, and one-time grant for recreational facilities are also included as budget heads.
(8) Mahila Mandal’s (MM): Mahila Mandal’s arrange activities for women and children in
their respective areas. The expenditure under the scheme is borne by the Central Social
Welfare Board to the extent of 75% of the approved budget and the remaining 25% is met by
the Voluntary Organizations or by the State Government as their matching contribution.
Under the programmed, services like Balwadis for the children, craft activities, social
education, maternity services for women etc. are provided.
Ministry of Women and Child Development: The Department of Women and Child
Development was set up in the year 1985 as a part of the Ministry of Human Resource Development to
give the much-needed impetus to the holistic development of women and children. With effect from
30.01.2006, the Department has been upgraded to Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Keeping the mandate of holistic development of women and children, the Ministry formulates plans,
policies and programmes; enacts/ amends legislation, guides and coordinates the efforts of both
governmental and non-governmental organizations working in the field of Women and Child
Development. The programmes cover welfare and support services, training for employment and
income generation, awareness generation and gender sensitization. These programmes play a
supplementary and complementary role to the other general developmental programmes in the
sectors of health, education, rural development etc.
National Commission for Women: The National Commission for Women (NCW) is a statutory
body constituted under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 (No. 20 of 1990) on 31st
January, 1992 with a view to protect, promote and safeguard the interests and rights of women. The
functions of the Commission as enumerated under Section 10 of the National Commission for Women
Act, 1990 are as follows:
(1) Investigate and examine all matters relating to the safeguards provided for women under
the Constitution and other laws;
(2) Present (reports on working of these safeguards) to the Central Government, annually and
at such other times as the Commission may deem fit;
(3) Make constitutional and legal recommendations for the effective implementation of
safeguards for improving the conditions of women by the Union or any State;
(4) Review, from time to time, the existing provisions of the Constitution and other laws
affecting women and recommend amendments so as to suggest remedial legislative
measures to meet any lacunae, inadequacies or shortcomings in such legislations;
(5) Take up the cases of violation of the provisions of the Constitution and of other laws relating
to women with the appropriate authorities;