Violence and abuse against women and girls is frequent on streets, in public transportation and in other public places. Such occurrences restrict women’s right to mobility, discouraging their freedom to walk freely and move in public spaces of their choice. Such violence also limits their access to essential services and adversely impact their health and well being.
In this context, and following the tragedy of December 2012, the Government has set up a dedicated fund – Nirbhaya Fund – which can be utilized for projects specifically designed to improve the safety and security of women. It is a non-lapsable corpus fund, being administered by Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
As per the guidelines issued by Ministry of Finance dt 25.03.2015, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) is the nodal Ministry to appraise/recommend proposals and schemes to be funded under Nirbhaya Fund. MWCD further has the responsibility to review and monitor the progress of sanctioned schemes in conjunction with the line Ministries/Departments.
PROJECT CONT0URS
The proposed projects under the Nirbhaya Fund should have the following features:
- Direct impact on safety and security concerns of women
- Optimum use of existing infrastructure
- Innovative use of technology
- No duplication of existing government schemes/program
- Provision for real time intervention as far as possible. E.g. in case of CCTVs for women’s safety, there should be real-time monitoring of footage and quick response, rather than just a recording of events for evidence after the incident has occurred
- Strict privacy and confidentiality of women’s identity and information. E.g. placement ofCCTVs so as to not compromise women’s privacy, protection of video data collected etc.
- Defined role of all stakeholders
Clear definition of project:
- Inputs – required manpower, physical assets, financial resources etc.
- Activities – to be undertaken during the project cycle. E.g. trainings, building infrastructure etc.
- Outputs – product of the project. E.g. number of people reached, area covered etc.
- Measurable outcomes – expected achievement of the project. E.g. increase in prosecutions of crime against women, reduction in crime rate etc.
- No. of beneficiaries to be reached – absolute or estimated
- Defined monitoring mechanism – from lowest level up to MWCD
- Support of State WCD/Social Welfare Department, State Home Department and concerned central Ministry/Department (in case of proposals from States)
EMPOWERED COMMITTEE OF OFFICERS
An Empowered Committee was set up on 26.10.2015 to appraise and recommend proposals to be funded under Nirbhaya Fund.
- Secretary, MWCD: Chairperson
- Secretary, MHA,
- Secretary, MoRTH
- Secretary, MeITY
- Chairman, Railway Board: Member
- Joint Secretary, DEA: Member
- Secretary of Project Sponsoring Department: Member
- Secretary of concerned State Govt. Dept: Member
- Secretary, State Dept. of WCD: Member
- Joint Secretary, MWCD: Convenor
(For State proposals, the members from Sl. No. 5 to 9 are to be co-opted as per the requirements of the project).
PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS
- Central Government Ministries/Departments can formulate proposals and send to MWCD.
- State Departments can also formulate proposals with regard to their specific sector (e.g. road transport, policing, power etc.)
- States should submit proposals to the concerned Central Government Ministry/Department.
- They should also mark an advance copy to the Secretary, MWCD (Chairperson of the Empowered Committee).
- All proposals from UTs are to be routed through the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- The concerned Ministry/Department of the Central Government should forward the State/UT proposals with their recommendations/comments to the Empowered Committee.
- Autonomous and other govt. bodies can submit proposals through concerned Ministries/Departments/State Governments.
PROCEDURE FOR PROCESSING PROPOSALS
- The Empowered Committee is to appraise and take a view on the proposals.
- Following recommendation by the Empowered Committee, the concerned Ministry/ Department should place the proposal before the Competent Authority for approval subject to the following financial limits:
- Up to Rs. 100 Cr: Secretary, Concerned Ministry
- Rs. 100-500 Cr: Minister of Concerned Ministry
- Rs. 500-1000 Cr: Minister of Concerned Ministry and MoF
- Above Rs. 1000 Cr: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
- After obtaining the necessary approvals and subject to the availability of funds, there will be two ways of releasing funds:
- The concerned Ministry/Department should take up the proposal with Budget Division (DEA) Ministry of Finance under Nirbhaya Fund.
- With approval of MoF, MWCD can also transfer funds to concerned Ministries/Departments for further disbursal to reduce time-lag of allocations through annual budgets.
- The Budget Division (DEA), with the approval of Finance Minister will approve the funding of schemes from Nirbhaya Fund and will also be the nodal Ministry for any accretion into and withdrawal from the fund.
- The concerned Ministries/Departments shall take necessary action for approval of SFC/ EFC /PIB and Cabinet for implementation of the scheme on the ground.
FUND FLOW UNDER NIRBHAYA:
The below standard funding pattern will be followed:
FUNDING PATTERN
- 60:40 for all States
- 90:10 for States with difficult terrains
- 100% for UTs
- Few initiatives are 100% funded
The funds for the projects shall be released following the procedure prescribed in GFR 2005.
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
- MWCD is responsible to review and monitor the progress of sanctioned projects/schemes under Nirbhaya Fund in conjunction with the concerned Central Ministries/Departments.
- The monitoring and reporting mechanism to be followed at the State Government/UT level and at the level of the concerned Central Government Ministry/ Department and should form a part of the proposal.
- Strict monitoring will be followed for all proposals, including those which have already been appraised by EC and funds disbursed to the respective Ministries/Departments or States/UTs.