VIJAYAWADA: In order to provide permanent shelter for the women in distress and missing children till they are reunited with their parents, State Women and Child Welfare Department (WCWD) is planning to construct ‘Swadhar’ homes in all 13 districts.
Presently, children and women rescued by police and officials during anti-child labour drives and Operation Muskaan are sent to private homes.
Swadhar is a shelter home for women who are victims of unfortunate circumstances and are abandoned by their families and relatives. Swadhar homes will provide lodge and boarding, recreational facilities, education, vocational training, medical care, and counselling.
According to the Women and Child Welfare Department officials, as many as 25 Swadhar homes will come up in the State with at least two homes per a district. The capacity of these homes will be 50 and caretakers will also be appointed. Swadhar scheme is a sub-scheme of the centrally-sponsored ‘Protection & Empowerment’ with the Centre and States sharing cost of their maintennance.
“While the central government contributes 62 percent of funds to the scheme, rest is borne by the State government,” said Krishna district project director K Krishna Kumari.
According to the ministry’s directions, Swadhar home inmates will get `175 per month for medicines, `100 as pocket money and also provides fees for vocational training under National Council on Vocational Training (NCVT) scheme.
“Generally, these people (women and children in distress) won’t get shelter easily. Swadhar is a home for protection and rehabilitation of those women and girls who are facing family problems, mental strains, social ostracism and exploitation.” she added.