The ministry of minority affairs have sanctioned Rs 26 crore during 2018-19 to 2020-21 under Nai Roshni scheme.

What is Nai Roshni scheme?

• Nai Roshni, a scheme for leadership development of minority women, is being implemented across India with an aim to empower and instill confidence in women by providing knowledge, tools and techniques for interacting with government systems, banks and other institutions at all levels.

• The ministry has been implementing this Central Sector Scheme since 2012-13.

• It is a kind of sensitisation and awareness generation programme supported with handholding.

• The target groups under this scheme are women in the age group of 18-65 years from the notified minority communities, namely: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Budhists, Jains and Parsis (Zoroastrians). 

• These women come from the poorest of the poor communities across social geographies in India. This scheme so far has been able to reach over four lakh minority women, helping in instilling confidence and belief of self-worth.

• It is basically a training programme conducted for the women covering areas related to programmes for women, health and hygiene, legal rights of women, financial literacy, digital literacy, Swachch Bharat, life skills and advocacy for social and behavioural change.

• The overall objective of the scheme is to embolden the minority women to move out of the confines of their homes and community and assume leadership roles in society. 

• The scheme provides for a six days training programme followed by handholding for a period of one year.

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