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Introduction
The central government and state government have come out with various innovative schemes over the decades for the betterment and upliftment of female citizens and particularly of young girls. These schemes aim at providing them with not only good educational opportunities but also employment and empowerment opportunities. One such scheme initiated by the state government of West Bengal is the Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana. It’s a social welfare scheme, that is appreciated widely by the citizens of West Bengal. Following are the key details related to the Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana of West Bengal.
About Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana
Objectives of Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana
Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana was launched in the year 2013. It was initiated with the motive of providing financial help to the female children of the state. It aims to empower them so they have the opportunity to build their financial future and at the same time discourage their early marriage. The scheme was originally initiated to help the female children in their primary as well as secondary education but was later extended to include post graduate courses also.
Child marriage is abolished in our country. Yet it is a common practice in many states. Child marriages are still rampant in West Bengal, especially in the rural areas. Hence the state government has come out with financial incentives to curb this practice and ensure that the female children especially in poor classes of the society are not faced with the horrors of child marriage and the associated unfortunate events like early pregnancies, infant mortality, malnutrition and domestic violence.
Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana was designed in a manner to promote the idea of women education and delay their marriageable age to the legal age at least.
Following are the objectives of the scheme:
- Providing monetary incentive for female children so they can complete their primary and secondary education as well as vocational or technical education as permitted under the scheme.
- Reducing and ultimately bringing an end to the practice of child marriages.
- Reducing infant mortality and maternal mortality due to child marriages by creating awareness and increasing the median age of child birth.
- Transferring the financial support under the scheme directly to the beneficiary female child so as to provide them with not only an educational opportunity but also an opportunity to decide the purpose of utilization for such amount.
- Striving to bring about a change in the perspective of the society and encouraging the participation of women in society building by promoting strong women role models.
- The scheme also aims at reducing the evils of child trafficking and exploitation of young girls.
Eligibility for Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana
Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana was initiated for the betterment of young girls and eliminating the curse of child marriage from the society. For this the scheme awards certain monetary benefits to such eligible girls so they can get primary and secondary education as well as vocational and technical education.
Following are the eligibility conditions for the scheme.
- The girl child should be a resident of the state of West Bengal.
- The girl child should be unmarried.
- The girl child should be between the age of 13 years and 18 years to get the annual scholarship under the K1.
- The child should belong to a family having annual income not more than Rs. 1,20,000.
- Furthermore, in any of the following situations, the condition of maximum annual income is not needed to be complied
- girl children having any disability of 40% or more
- living in a home registered under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000
- having lost both the parents
- Students pursuing vocational or sports training
Having completed the age of 18 years as on 1st April 2013 and unmarried for getting the one time grant of Rs. 25,000.
Documents for Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana
Applicants need to provide a certain basic set of documents to prove their eligibility for this scheme. These documents have to be provided at the time of submitting the application for the scheme.
Following are the documents to be submitted by the applicants to make the application complete and eligible for further processing.
- Birth Certificate of the applicant girl child.
- Certificate to ascertain the fact that the girl child is unmarried.
- Proof that the girl child is enrolled in an educational institution. Such proof has to be signed by the Head of such Institution or by the Superintendent of the home under the J.J. Act.
- Income Statement of the family certifying that the family income is below Rs. 1,20,000.
- The income statement is not necessary in case of the exceptions to this rule as stated above.
- Bank Passbook first page that reflects the name, address, account number and other relevant details.
- Disability certificate if applied under that category.
- Declaration of a Guardian in case of death of both the parents.
- Recent Photographs.
Composition of Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana
Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana is a scheme that provides financial assistance to the girl child. This financial assistance is provided in two parts initially. The components of the scheme along with eligibility under each part are explained below.
K1 (Annual Scholarship)
K1 is the primary financial assistance provided to female children on an annual basis. This scholarship is provided to girls between the age of 13 years and 18 years i.e. studying in class VIII equivalent or above. This annual scholarship is of Rs. 750 and is provided to the eligible female students till the time they remain in the education system. The condition for the same is that the girl child should not be married at that time.
K2 (One Time Grant)
K2 is the secondary scholarship that is provided under the scheme. It is paid to the female children at the time they attain the age of 18 years or 19 years. This is a one-time grant of Rs. 25,000. This grant is provided to the eligible girls for pursuing occupational training or vocational or sports training or pursuing their higher education. This grant also requires the female child to be unmarried to be eligible for such grant.
Application Process for Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana
Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana is the welfare scheme for the upliftment of female children by curbing the practice of child marriage and changing the perspective of the society by providing them an opportunity to shape and secure their future and their families thereby.
The application process for this scheme is kept very simple and approachable so as to maximize its reach. The details of the application process are mentioned below.
- First important step is to open a bank account if one is not already present in the name of the applicant. Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme wherein the monetary benefit allotted to the eligible females will be directly deposited to their bank account. The bank account has to be in the name of the applicant as it is the primary condition to be eligible for such scheme.
- After that, the applicant will have to collect the application form from the school or the institute that the eligible girl child is studying in.
- Next step is to duly fill the application form correctly with all the relevant details and ensure that there are no errors in the same (like spelling errors).
- Applicants will have to submit all the relevant documents along with the application form to complete such application and make it eligible for further processing.
- After submitting the application along with the documents, applicants will receive an acknowledgement number which is a proof of submission of the application and can be used to track the same.
- After the application of the applicant is approved, the monetary benefit under the scheme as per the eligibility of the candidate will be disbursed directly to the applicant’s bank account as mentioned in the application form.
- Applicants will get an SMS from the bank confirming such credit if the monetary benefit.
- The scheme also provides a portal to register any grievances on part of the applicant in case the monetary benefit is not credited to their bank account even after a period of 2 months of duly submitting the application.
Target Beneficiaries of Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana
The scheme targets female children from the lower strata of the society or girls that are vulnerable to the perils of child marriage and female children that do not have an equal opportunity to gain good education due to any conditions like financial constraints or otherwise.
Following are the target beneficiaries under the scheme.
- Every female child between the age of 13 years and 19 years that come from a family having annual income of not more than Rs. 1,20,000.
- Girl child that is under the care of homes registered under the Juvenile Justice Act and are of 18 years or 19 years.
- Girls that attend educational institutions for vocational or sports training regularly.
- 18,00,000 girls students approximately that can be eligible to receive the annual scholarship of Rs. 750
- 3,50,000 girls students approximately that can be eligible to receive the one time grant of Rs. 25,000
FAQs – Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana
1. What is the basis or the premise of initiating the Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana?
Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana was initiated with a view to irradiate the practice of child marriage completely from our society and give the female children an equal opportunity to get good education and build a successful and promising future for themselves and their families.
2. What is the monetary benefit available under the scheme?
Kanyashree Prakalpa Yojana provides monetary benefits to eligible girl children as an incentive to curb the practice of child marriages in the state of West Bengal. These incentives are twofold depending on the age of the applicant and the purpose of applying for such benefit. The monetary benefit available under the scheme and the purpose of allotting such benefit is tabled below.
| Monetary Benefit | Amount of Benefit | Purpose of granting such benefit |
|---|---|---|
K1 (Annual Scholarship) | Rs. 750 | Provided to girls studying in standard VIII or equivalent and above for each year that they are in the education system and remain unmarried. |
K2 (One Time Grant) | Rs. 25,000 | Provided for vocational training or sports training or technical education to girls of 18 years and 19 years provided they are unmarried at such time. |
3. What is the maximum income level permissible for the benefit under the scheme?
Applicants are eligible to get monetary benefits under the scheme if they have family income not more than Rs. 1,20,000.
4. What is the minimum age to be eligible for the annual scholarships under the scheme?
The minimum age to be eligible for the annual scholarships under the scheme is 13 years when the girl child is studying in standard VIII or equivalent.
5. Is having a bank account in the name of the applicant mandatory?
Yes. The scheme is in the nature of direct benefit transfer (DBT) programmed by the State Government and hence it is mandatory for the applicant to have a bank account in her name. If the applicant does not already have a bank account prior to application under the scheme, a new bank account can be opened at the time of application before duly submitting the same.