News:West Bengal government has decided to set up Kanyashree University in Nadia district and Kanyashree colleges across the state so as to empower girls.
Facts:
About Kanyashree scheme:
- The Kanyashree scheme was started by the West Bengal government to empower girls in 2013.
- In 2017,the Kanyashree scheme won the United Nations for Public Service award for its Kanyashree scheme.
Objectives:
- To ensure that girls study in schools and delay their marriages until they attain 18 years of age.
- To empower girls from school to university level so that they can become independent women.
- To improve the status and well-being of girls, particularly those from socio- economically disadvantaged families through conditional cash transfers.
Components of the scheme:The scheme has two cash transfer components
- An annual incentive of Rs 750 is given to girls in the age group 13 to 18 years old and studying in Class 8 for every year till they continue their education–provided they are unmarried at the time.
- One-time grant of Rs 25,000 is also given to girls once they attain the age of 18 years, provided they are engaged in an academic or occupational pursuit and unmarried.
