A few days back, I read an article in the newspaper about the “KUDUMBASHREE” scheme for women in Kerala, which has been running for the last 25 years.
What is Kudumbashree?
Kudumbashree is the poverty eradication and women empowerment programme launched in 1998 by the Kerala state government. It is implemented by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Kerala government. It was renamed Kudumbashree Mission in 1999 and began to function under the local self-government department.
Who are eligible for this scheme:
If a family satisfies 7 out of 9 criteria and one additional criterion( which is different for rural and urban areas)
Selection criteria_
1 Landless/less than 10 cent land in rural and 5 cent land in urban area.
2 Homeless/lives in dilapidated house.
3 No drinking water facility within 150 meters.
4 No Hygenic toilets.
5 Family without an employed adult ( has job less than 10 days in a month)
6 Women headed family.
7 Family with members having physical/mental disability or chronic disease.
8 Family belonging to SC/ST/Fishermen community.
9 Family with illiterate adults.
Additional criteria for rural areas ( one from listing)
- Landless (family living in forestlands, waste lands etc.)
- Family sleeping on public places/streets at nights.
- Family with unwed mothers/mother & children only)
- Financially unsound widows/unmarried old women
- Family with having chronic illness/physical or mental disabilities
- Family with no members below 60 years of age capable of providing food for the family
- Family engaged in begging
- Family with woman who have suffered abuse.
Additional criteria for urban areas(one from the listing)
- Family sleeping on public places/streets at night.
- Unmarried ole women
- Family engaged in begging
- Family with no members below 60 years of age capable of providing food to the family
- Family with women who have suffered abused
- Family with children in juvenile homes/poor homes/street dwellers
- Family looked after by children below 14 years of age.
- Family with commercial sex workers
- Family with women living destitute homes
- Family living in slums
How Kudumbashree works?
The Kudumbashree community network has a three-tier structure. The neighbourhood groups(NHGs) are the units at the primary level. The economic status of the families is decided based on the standard set by the government from time to time. The Area Development Societies(ADSs) form the middle tier of the network., and last is at the local level, the Community Development Societies (CDS).
What are the services provided by Kudumbashree?
- Formation of New NHGs
- Revolving Fund support to NHGs
- Enrollment of candidates to skill training
- Establishment of Micro Enterprises
- Support to NHGs with interest subsidy on linkage loan
- Establishment of group Enterprises
- Support to NHGs to avail new linkage loans
The above services are again divided into micro services for agricultural, animal husbandry, Balasabha, Gender based, marketing, Micro Enterprises, micro finance, social development, Tribal and many more.
As of now Kudumbashree has three major programme domains; Economic Empowerment, Social Empowerment, and Women Empowerment.
Kudumbashree Mission appoints Kudumbashree community ambassadors, who provide guidance and support to job seekers in Kerala: Mobilisation, Curation, and Counseling, Work readiness programs. Awareness of government employment schemes, and Knowledge-based employment sectors. These ambassadors jobs are decently paid- The highest paid job is Project Manager with an estimated salary of Rs 25 Lakh per annum, Social Development Specialist is the lowest paid position with an estimated salary of Rs 4.65 lakh per annum.
As of July 2024, Kudumbashree has 3,16,000+ NHGs affiliated to 19,470 Area Development Societies (ADSs) and 1070 Community Development Societies (CDSs) with a total membership of 46.1 Lakhs + women.
On the surface the Kudumbashree Mission seem to be successful, as it is widely spread, and giving empowerment to women with clear cut eligibility criteria. This scheme looks different from the other states’ scheme where they just transfer some fixed amount per month to the women ( whose household income is below the prescribed limit for the scheme).
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
7th October 2024.