About the Scheme
Department of Women Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal (DWD&SW) has designed the Kanyashree Prakalpa - a conditional cash transfer scheme with the aim of improving the status and well being of the girl child in West Bengal by incentivizing schooling of all teenage girls and delaying their marriages until the age of 18, the legal age of marriage. Kanyashree Prakalpa is a West Bengal Government sponsored scheme which will be implemented henceforth in all districts of the State.

Objectives
Kanyashree Prakalpa seeks to improve the status and wellbeing of girls, specifically those from socio-economically disadvantaged families through Conditional Cash Transfers by:

  • Incentivizing them to continue in education for a longer period of time, and complete secondary or higher secondary education, or equivalent in technical or vocational steams, thereby giving them a better footing in both the economic and social spheres.
  • Disincentivising marriage till at least the age of 18, the legal age of marriage, thereby reducing the risks of early pregnancies, associated risks of maternal and child mortality, and other debilitating health conditions, including those of malnutrition.
  • It was also decided that the Scheme should confer more than just monetary support; it should be a means of financial inclusion and a tool of empowerment for adolescent girls. The scheme’s benefits are therefore paid directly to bank accounts in the girls’ names, leaving the decision of utilization of the money in their hands.
  • To reinforce the positive impact of increased education and delayed marriages, the scheme also works to enhance the social power and self-esteem of girls through a targeted behaviour change communication strategy. The communication strategy not only builds awareness of the scheme, but includes adolescent-friendly approaches like events, competitions and Kanyashree clubs, and the endorsement of strong women figures as role models to promote social and psychological empowerment.

Components of the Scheme
The scheme has two components:

  1. Annual Scholarship of Rs. 500/-(Rupees Five hundred only)
  2. One time Grant of Rs. 25,000/-(Rupees Twenty-five thousand only)

    Reshamgupta
    The Annual Scholarship is for unmarried girls aged 13-18 years enrolled in classes VIII-XII in government recognized regular or equivalent open school or equivalent vocational/technical training course.

        Sarvesh
        Both the benefits under the scheme will be granted to girls who belong to families with annual family income not more than Rs. 1, 20,000/- (Rupees One Lakh and twenty thousand only).

          Srinivasan
          Eligibility:

          • All girl children within the age of 13 to 19 years from families with annual income up to Rs 120000/-
          • Girls regularly attending institutions for education or vocational/sports training
          • Girls of Child Care Institutes registered under J.J. Act within the age of 18-19 years
          • For the one-time grant, girls who are completing 18 years on or after 1st April 2013

            Reshamgupta
            The One-time Grant is for girls turned 18 at the time of application, enrolled in government recognized regular or open school/college or pursuing vocational/technical training or sports activity or is an inmate of Home registered under J.J. Act 2000

              Srinivasan
              Girls from households with an annual family income of less than Rs. 1,20,000/- would be eligible for both benefits under the plan (Rupees One Lakh and twenty thousand only).

                a month later