 SOCIAL WELFARE AND REHABILITATION
 OF DISPLACED PERSONS

A. SOCIAL WELFARE

The programmes for social welfare have been given greater importance during the third Five-Year Plan. As against an outlay of Rs. 400 lakh in the first Plan, the second Plan provision was Rs. 1,900 lakh, while the third Plan provides for a sum of Rs. 3,100 lakh, including Rs. 300 lakh, specially earmarked for schemes relating to child welfare. The more important schemes included in the third Five- Year Plan are in respect of-

(a) Survey and research programmes;

(b) Social and moral hygiene and aftercare programmes;

(d) Assistance to schools of social work;

(e) Child welfare programmes; and

(f) Consolidation and expansion of the programmes under the Central Social Welfare Board.

2. Survey and Research Programmes :

During the year under review, about Rs. 70,000 was paid to the Indian Adult Education Association, New Delhi, the Gujarat Research Society, Bombay and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay for various research projects.

3. Social and Moral Hygiene and Aftercare Programmes:

During the year under review 91 district shelters and 50 state homes continued to function throughout India. The district shelters received, discharged and rescued persons who, after preliminary enquiries, were sent to appropriate aftercare homes. State homes accommodated persons discharged from correctional and non-correctional institutions, and provided them with vocational training in order to facilitate their rehabilitation. The Ministry of Education met 50 per cent of the cost on the running of these institutions and the remaining 50 per cent was met by the State Government concerned.

4. Assistance to Voluntary Organisations in the field of Social Welfare:

Maintenance grants amounting to about Rs. one lakh was sanctioned to five all-India organisations during the year under review.

5. Assistance to Schools of Social Work :

Five schools of social work were given financial asistance to the tune of Rs. 1.88 lakh towards their maintenance and developmental activities. Under the T.C.M. Programme, the Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi, the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Lucknow University, the Delhi School of Social Work and the Madras School of Social Work were provided with experts to assist and guide them. These experts helped the institutions concerned in re-organising their departments on modem lines and, in addition, gave considerable guidance to Indian members of the teaching staff. A sum of Rs. 25,063 was spent on the local cost of these experts during 1961-62.

6. In order to ensure suitable standards in the various schools of social work in the country, an expert committee was jointly appointed by the Ministry, of Education and the University Grants Commission. This expert committee visited most of the schools of social work with a view to examining the courses of study followed in them, the suitability of the staff employed and the facilities provided to the students. The Committee is expected to submit its report early next year.

7. Child Welfare Programmes :

A sum of Rs. 300 lakh has been specially earmarked for child welfare programmes during the third Five-Year Plan. It has been decided to utilise this amount under the following four major schemes :-

(a) Integrated Child Welfare Services--

Demonstration Projects: This scheme aims at buildings up an integrated child welfare service for the total well-being of children of the age-group 0-16 in a few selected community development blocks so that significant results could be achieved during,, a period of four to five years. This experiment in the few selected areas is likely to give sufficient experience and knowledge to enable the formulation of a realistic Plan for child welfare services on a larger scale with limited resources. The scheme for these demonstration project was prepared during the year under review. in consultation with the Planning Commission, Central Social Welfare Board, the Indian Council for Child Welfare and other concerned Ministries of the Government of India. The scheme provides for starting about 20 demonstration projects in the various States and Union Territories. The cost per project will be about Rs. 5 lakh for the Plan period. The projects are to be administered by the State Governments and the draft scheme has been sent to all of them for suggesting the name of the block and for suggesting the necessary modifications required for the scheme to suit the local conditions. Proposals received so far from the States of Punjab and U.P. and the Union Territory of Delhi and Nagaland are at present being examined in the Ministry of Education.

(b) Establishment of Balwadis, Creches and Bal-Sevika Training Centres :

It was decided by the Ministry of Education to strengthen the

existing balwadis and creches and to open new institutions of this type during the third Five-Year Plan. The proposal envisages the provision of a trained worker for each existing balwadi and creche. In order that such trained workers may be made available, two bal- sevika training centres have been opened, one at Delhi and the other at Madras. It is proposed to open similar bal-sevika training centres in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Mysore during the next year. It is expected that by the end of the Third Plan, each State will have at least one such training centre.

(c) Research Study on Child Growth:

In order to find out the variety of factors affecting the child growth, the Ministry of Education decided, during the year under review, to take up scientific study of this as a research project. This project has been entrusted to the National Institute of Education at an estimated cost of Rs. 5 lakh over the third Plan period.

(d) Grants for the Maintenance of State Branches of the Indian Council for Child Welfare:

In view of the importance of child welfare, and the need for active participation by voluntary organisations in child welfare programmes, the Ministry sanctioned during the year under review a sum of Rs. 31,427 to the Indian Council for Child Welfare towards the cost of maintenance of a nucleus administrative staff in the various branches of the Council.

(e) Publication, of Research Works done in Schools of Social Work:

There are 17 schools of social work in India and every student is required to submit a dissertation involving some survey or investigation for his final examination. It is estimated that about 1,500 dissertations have accumulated so far. As a compilation containing abstracts of all these, dissertations will be a useful document, the Ministry of Education have entrusted this work to the Association of Schools of Social Work to whom a suitable grant-in- aid will be made for the purpose,

B. CENTRAL SOCIAL WELFARE BOARD

8. Composition of the Central and State Boards:

The general set-up of the Central Social Welfare Board and the 21 State Boards under it remained unchanged during 1961-62, except for the fact that the Madras State Department of Social Welfare has been merged into the State Social Welfare Advisory Board.

9. Grants-in-aid Code Committee:

Since one of the main items of work of the Board is to grant assistance to voluntary social welfare organisations, a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. J. F. Balsura was appointed to go into various aspects of grant-in-aid, The Committee submitted its report towards the close of the last financial year. Most of its recommendations have been accepted by the Central Social Welfare Board.

One of the more important recommendations is that during the third Five Year Plan, more emphasis should be laid on consolidation of work already done and on improving the quality of services rendered by voluntary organisations. During the year under review, 2,494 institutions were assisted by the Board to the tune of Rs. 107.18 lakh.

10. Welfare Extension Projects :

It was decided by the Ministry of Education not to open any new welfare extension project during the third Five-Year Plan. The existing welfare extension projects are to be continued till they complete a period of five years, after which they are to be handed over to voluntary organisations. In accordance with this policy, 1,607 welfare extension projects of the original pattern were made over to voluntary organisations during the year under review.

11. Training Programmes:

Condensed courses were provided for women at 272 centres throughout the country, and 6,800 women received their training in these centres. A new training programme was also sponsored by the Board with the assistance of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Under this programme, three multipurpose training centres were opened in the tribal areas of Gujarat, Bihar and Manipur for training tribal women for welfare work, in their areas. About 200 craft instructors of the welfare extension projects and various voluntary organisations have so far been trained at the instance of the Board in the regional handicrafts training institutes run by the All-India Handicrafts Board at Bombay, Hyderabad and Calcutta.

12. Socio-Economic Programme:

The socio-economic programmes of the Board are designed to provide avenues for supplementing income of women of the lower income groups, and also, wherever possible, to provide them with regular work and wages. Up to the end of the year under review, the Board assisted various voluntary organisations to set up 38 training-cum-production units, comprising 19 handloom units, 3 ancilliary units, 7 small industries units, 5 industrial cooperative societies and 4 handicrafts units. The Board has spent during 1961-62 a sum of Rs. 28.94 lakh over the setting up of these training-cum-production units.

13. Night Shelters:

The Bharat Sevak Samaj was given a grant of Rs. 74,645 for establishing and maintaining 24 night shelters during the year under review.

14. Committee on Child Care:

At the instance of the Ministry of Education, the Central Social Welfare Board set up a committee on child care under the chairmanship of Shrimati Tara Bai to go into the question of the various needs of children up to the age of six, and to formulate a comprehensive plan for their care and training with particular reference to the provision of pre-school education. The Committee has already

completed its field visits, and has submitted an interim report to the Board. The final report of the Committee is expected to be submitted early next year.

C. REHABILITATION OF DISPLACED PERSONS

15. Financial Assistance to Displaced Students from Pakistan:

Under the scheme, financial assistance in the shape of freeship, up to school stage and stipends up to college stage is granted to displaced students from East and West Pakistan. Although the scheme was intended to be wound up at the end of the second Plan, in order that undue hardship may not be caused to those who are in the midst of their courses, the Government of India decided to continue to give benefits under the scheme to those students who are already in receipt of such assistance but who have not yet completed their courses during 1961-62 and 1962-63.

16. Educational Loans:

The work relating to the recovery and remission of educational loans advanced to displaced students was continued during the year under report, and out of a sum of Rs. 7.26 lakh advanced to 1,401 loanees through the Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Directorate, a sum of Rs. 4.44 lakh has been either recovered or remitted.

17. Homes and Infirmaries :

The various homes/infirmaries and children's institutions for displaced persons from Pakistan continued to be dealt with by the Ministry of Education. These institutions cater to:

(a) Unattached women and their dependents;

(b) Unattached children; and

The day-to-day administration of these institutions continued to be under the respective State Governments. The Ministry of Education arranged for periodical screening of the inmates with a view to weeding out persons who are not eligible for stay in these institutions. As a result of the weeding of the able-bodied persons and the merger of the smaller homes with larger ones, the total number of homes and infirmaries was reduced from 58 to 53 and the number of inmates from about 30,000 to about 25,000. About 1,800 displaced children continued to be maintained in 37 children's institutions. Regular disbursement of cash doles to about 4,000 displaced persons who are outside homes. was made.

18. Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Directorate:

The more important activities of the Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Directorate, Delhi, during the year under review are given below:-

(a) Training-cum-Production Centres

The 19 training-cum-production centres located in different parts of Delhi have so far trained 22,094 women in various crafts. Apart from

99 imparting training to a large number of women. these centres employed 1,307 women wage-earners in the production of hand and machine embroidery, manufacture of soap, phenyle, hosiery goods, dusters, bed sheets, table cloths, napkins, garments, knitted articles etc. The total wages earned by these workers amounted to about Rs. 4 lakh.

(b) Refugee Handicrafts Shop

The Refugee Handicrafts Shop situated in Connaught Place, New Delhi, continued to promote sales of articles manufactured in the various production-cum-training centres. The total sales during the year tinder review amounted to about Rs. 1.75 lakh.

(c) Kasturba Niketan Home

The Kasturba. Niketan Home for displaced unattached women and children located at Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, which started originally with a strength of about 1,300, continued to function with a reduced strength of 836 inmates. 417 inmates of this home have so far been rehabilitated.

19. Financial Provisions:

The following financial provisions have been made for the schemes in this sector during 1961- 62 and 1962-63.

                                          
        
        Sl.            Scheme                        Budget Provision made in 
        No.
        
                                          
 
                                                     1961-62      1962-63
        
                                          
        
        1              2                             3             4
        
                                          
                                                     
                                                     Rs.           Rs.
        
        1.  Surveys, Training Programmes and Research 
            Projects in Social Welfare               2,50,000      5,00,000
        
        2.  Grant-in-aid to Central Social Welfare 
            Board                                    2,07,00,000   2,25,00,000
        
        3.  Grants to All-India Welfare Organisations 
            and Developmental Administrative Grants 
            to Child Welfare and Social Welfare 
            Organisations                            1,50,000      3,00,000
        
        4.  Social and Moral Hygiene and After-care 
            Programme                                27,00,000    11,00,000
        
         
        5.  Study of Child Growth by the National 
            Institute of Education                      ..        48,000
        
        6.  Assistance to Indian Council for Child 
            Welfare for Maintenance of Nucleus 
            Administrative Machinery in its State 
            Branches                                 70,000       80,000
        
        7.  Demonstration Projects-Integrated Child 
            Welfare Services                            ..        17,00,000
        
        8.  Pre-Primary Education Programme             ..        25,00,000
        
        9.  Grants-in-aid to States                               36,50,000
        
        10.  T.C.M. O.A. 44                          40,000         30,000
        X2

100

                                          
        
        1                   2                        3             4
        
                                          
        
        11. Financial Assistance to   Displaced 
            Persons from East and West Pakistan      40,84,600    23,22,000
        
        12. Homes/Infirmaries for Displaced Persons 
            from East and West Pakistan              89,81,400    85,35,200
        
        13. Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Directorate
        
             (i) Headquarter's Staff                 1,82,100     1,85,700
        
             (ii) Kasturba Niketan Home              3,08,500     2,46,400
        
             (iii) Doles to Destitute Displaced 
                    Persons                          29,300       27,000
        
        
             (iv) Training-cum-Production Centres 
                  for Women                          6,78,600     7,36,100
        
                                          
        
                       TOTAL FOR THE DIRECTORATE     11,98,500    11,95,200

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SOCIAL WELFARE AND REHABILITATION OF DISPLACED PERSONS