| Kanyashree | |
|---|---|
| Mission statement | To reduce dropout rate and prevent early marriage |
| Type of project | Scholarship scheme for girls |
| Location | West Bengal |
| Owner | Government of West Bengal |
| Founder | Mamata Banerjee |
| Country | India (primarily in West Bengal) |
| Established | 8 March 2013 (2013-03-08) |
| Status | Active |
| Website | www |
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|---|---|---|
Incumbent Electoral Performance Early political movements Chief Ministership
Initiatives Controversies
Political Slogans | ||
| Gallery: Picture, Sound, Video | ||
Kanyashree is an initiative undertaken by theGovernment of West Bengal to improve the lives and status of the girls by helping low-income families with cash so that families do not force their daughters into arrangedchild marriages because of economic difficulties. The purpose of this initiative is to uplift girls who are from poor families and are unable pursue higher studies due to tough economic conditions. It has been internationally recognised by the United Nations Department of International Development and the UNICEF.
The scheme has two components:
The annual scholarship is for unmarried girls aged 13–18 years enrolled in class VIII-XII in government recognized regular or equivalent open school or vocational / technical training courses.Recently the bar of income was withdrawn by the government of West Bengal; now every girl can apply for that scheme.
Kanyashree Prakalpa has been designed to ensure that girls stay in school and delay their marriages until at least the age of 18. Kanyashree's strategy is simple: keeping girls away from marriage until they reach legal adulthood and keeping them in the streamline of their education. To do this, the government facilitates financial aid for female students. It has changed the behaviours and attitudes particularly of parents who would otherwise be inclined to marry their daughters before 18 years of age.
The Scheme has two conditional cash benefit components.
The term 'education' encompasses secondary and higher secondary education, as well as the various vocational, technical and sports courses available for this age group. To ensure an equity focus, the scheme is open only to girls from families whose annual income is R. 1,20,000/- or less. For girls with special needs, girls who have lost both parents, as well as for girls currently residing in Juvenile Justice homes, this criterion is waived. Although the annual scholarship is payable only when girls reach Class VIII, this criterion is waived for girls with special needs whose disability is 40% or more.
The Scheme was appreciated as a good practice at:
14 August is celebrated as Kanyashree Day to promote the scheme throughout the state. On August 14, 2013 state wide events were held to publicize the scheme. InKolkata the event was presided over by the Chief Minister of West Bengal,Mamata Banerjee. Awareness campaigns were organized by the government in districts.
The state government of West Bengal is setting up Kanyashree University in Nadia district and Kanyashree colleges across the state so as to empower girls. The Kanyashree University would be only for women. Earlier in January 2019, the West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone of new Kanyashree University atKrishnagar inNadia district.
The following are year-wise statistics:[4]
| Scheme Type | Annual Scholarship (K1) | Renewal (K1) | One-Time Grant (K2) | Upgradation (K2) | Total Application | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Uploaded | 18,89,960 | 0 | 1,44,197 | 0 | 20,34,157 |
| Sanctioned | 18,44,990 | 0 | 1,38,965 | 0 | 19,83,955 | |
| 2014–15 | Uploaded | 7,69,945 | 12,22,942 | 49,138 | 2,56,737 | 22,98,762 |
| Sanctioned | 7,59,061 | 12,04,921 | 46,118 | 2,49,266 | 22,59,366 | |
| 2015–16 | Uploaded | 6,11,154 | 15,83,073 | 34,979 | 3,01,874 | 25,31,080 |
| Sanctioned | 5,95,221 | 15,76,218 | 32,379 | 2,96,969 | 25,00,787 | |
| 2016–17 | Uploaded | 7,39,759 | 16,05,615 | 25,198 | 3,29,533 | 27,00,105 |
| Sanctioned | 7,09,517 | 15,79,703 | 23,797 | 3,21,028 | 26,34,045 | |
| 2017–18 | Uploaded | 7,05,184 | 17,48,332 | 3,319 | 3,94,772 | 28,51,607 |
| Sanctioned | 6,87,623 | 17,36,138 | 3,270 | 3,89,392 | 28,16,423 | |
| 2018–19 | Uploaded | 8,08,676 | 18,42,334 | 16,734 | 4,29,577 | 30,97,321 |
| Sanctioned | 8,05,480 | 18,41,544 | 16,390 | 4,25,512 | 30,88,926 | |
| 2019–20 | Uploaded | 2,03,896 | 17,72,794 | 0 | 3,52,562 | 23,29,252 |
| Sanctioned | 1,52,748 | 16,98,680 | 0 | 2,52,215 | 21,03,643 | |
| Till Date | Uploaded | 57,28,574 | 97,75,090 | 2,73,565 | 20,65,055 | 1,78,42,284 |
| Sanctioned | 55,54,640 | 96,37,204 | 2,60,919 | 19,34,382 | 1,73,87,145 | |
A similar program was instituted in Bangladesh in 1982, called the Female Secondary School Stipend Program. It was first launched in six areas of the country and later extended to other areas owing to its success.[5]
