50 new rental-based hostels for working women

The government is planning to operationalise 50 new rental-based hostels for working women, in response to demands and their location-based requirements, officials said.

The existing scheme of Working Women Hostels WWH has been renamed 'Sakhi Niwas' and will be expanded geographically as well as in terms of users who are single women, women whose family members don't reside in the area, girls pursuing higher education or undergoing training etc. Officials said so.

An official said about 50 hostels would be operationalised to run on a rental model based on the demands and locational requirements of working women, rather than building construction.

He also said children, i.e. Girls up to the age of 18 years and boys up to the age of 12 years are allowed to live with their working mothers in Sakhi Niwas.

Of which 497 are operational, 972 hostels were sanctioned across the country last year.

Working Women Hostels scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme under which financial assistance is distributed to states and union territories to open hostels.

The central government bears 60 per cent of the cost, but the state or union territory in 15 per cent spends 15 per cent and the implementing agency will invest 25 per cent of the amount. This cost-sharing model is applicable for all states except for those in the Himalayan region and the Northeast.

The ratio is 65: 10: 25 for the Northeastern and Himalayan states.