Swadhar Greh Scheme

The Ministry of Women and Child Development implements the Swadhar Greh Scheme. This scheme helps women victims facing difficult circumstances who need institutional support for rehabilitation and lead their lives with dignity. This scheme is called the Shelter Homes for Women (SHW) scheme.

The Swadhar Greh Scheme envisages providing women with food, shelter, counselling, clothing, training, legal aid, clinical aid, health, and economic and social security. It also ensures that the special needs of women are adequately taken care of, and they are not left unattended or abandoned under any circumstances leading to their desolation and exploitation. 

The government merged the Swadhar Greh Scheme and the Ujjawala Scheme from 2021-22. It is now known as ‘Shakti Sadan’ - Integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Home under the Samarthya component of Mission Shakti.

Swadhar Greh Scheme Objectives

Under this scheme, a ‘Swadhar Greh’ will be set up in each district with a capacity of 30 women. More than one ‘Swadhar Greh’ can be set up in big cities, districts with more than 40 lakh population and districts needing additional support for women. The ‘Swadhar Greh’ capacity can be expanded up to 50-100 based on the need assessment and other necessary parameters. The following are the objectives of the Swadhar Greh scheme:

• To cater to the primary need of food, shelter, medical treatment, clothing and care of women without economic and social support and in distress.
• To enable women to regain emotional strength that is hampered due to their encounters with difficult or unfortunate circumstances.
• To provide women with guidance and legal aid to take steps for readjustment in society/family.
• To rehabilitate women emotionally and economically.
• To act as a support system that meets and understands the various requirements of women.
• To enable women to start their lives afresh with conviction and dignity.

Strategies of the Swadhar Greh Scheme

The following strategies are adopted under the Swadhar Greh Scheme to pursue and achieve its objectives:

• Establishment of temporary residential accommodation with the provision of clothing, food, medical facilities, etc.
• Vocational and skill-up training for economic rehabilitation of women.
• Awareness generation, counselling and behavioural training.
• Guidance and legal aid.
• Counselling through telephone.

Swadhar Greh Scheme Eligibility

Women aged above 18 years belonging to the below categories can stay in the Swadhar Greh:

• Deserted women without any economic and social support.
• Women survivors of natural disasters who are homeless and without economic and social support.
• Women prisoners released from jail without family, economic and social support.
• Women victims of family tension, domestic violence or discord, who have left their homes without special protection from exploitation or means of subsistence or facing litigation for marital disputes.
• Trafficked women or rescued women run away from brothels or other places where they face exploitation and do not have economic or social support. However, they must seek assistance under the Ujjawala Scheme if it operates in that area.
• Women affected by AIDS/HIV not having economic or social support. However, they must seek assistance under the Ujjawala Scheme if it operates in that area.

Women affected by domestic violence can stay up to one year in the Swadhar Greh. Other categories of women can stay for a maximum period of three years. Women above 55 years can be accommodated in the Swadhar Greh for a maximum of five years, after which they need to shift to old age homes.

Children accompanying women of all categories can avail of the Swadhar Greh facilities. Girls up to 18 years and boys up to eight years are allowed to stay in the Swadhar Greh with their mothers. Boys above eight years will be shifted to the Children’s Homes run under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) or Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

Components of the Swadhar Greh Scheme

• Construction grants for building construction will be permissible to Municipal Corporations, State Governments, Panchayati Raj Institutions and Cantonment Boards. The implementing agency will provide land free of cost to construct the building.
• Rent for the Swadhar Greh, if set up in a rented building.
• Assistance for non-recurring and recurring expenditures for the management of the Swadhar Greh.
• Provision for shelter, food, medical care, clothing, and pocket expenses for children and residents.
• Provision of legal aid, counselling, guidance and vocational training.

Swadhar Greh Scheme Implementing Agencies

• State Government agencies, including Women Development Corporations.
• Municipal bodies.
• State or Central autonomous bodies.
• Panchayati Raj Institutions and Cooperative institutions.
• Cantonment boards.
• Social Welfare of the State Governments or Departments of Women and Child Development.
• Public trusts registered under the law.
• Civil society organisations such as NGOs have a track record of working in social welfare, women’s welfare or women’s education. However, it should be registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860 or another relevant State Act.

Implementation of the Swadhar Greh Scheme

The cost-sharing ratio between the centre and state government is 60:40 for implementing this scheme. In the case of Uttarakhand,  Himachal Pradesh, North Eastern States and Jammu and Kashmir, the cost-sharing ratio between the centre and state is 90:10. In the case of UTs, the Central Government provides 100% assistance.

After a woman victim arrives at the Swadhar Greh, she will be provided food, shelter and other basic amenities. A counsellor will prepare the case study with details of the nature of the victimhood of a woman to prescribe the rehabilitative services she requires. Her personal details will be registered, and she will be given a photo ID card. A medical check-up is arranged within three days of her admission.

Every case should have a separate file with complete case records, referral letters, addresses of relatives and other records or letters about police or court cases, etc. A record of the assistance given, such as medical checkups, meetings held in connection with the case with different authorities, etc., should be maintained.

The case files should be updated and open for inspection by a government officer at any time. It should also consist of the steps taken and a plan of action to rehabilitate the resident and her children (if any). The implementing agency is responsible for providing vocational training for the residents through the Skill Development Initiative (SDI) scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development or the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The actual expenditure incurred as fees in the training course is reimbursable under this scheme.