Introduction
The Ministry of India has been administering ‘Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) Scheme’ since 1986-87 as a ‘Central Sector Scheme’. The STEP Scheme aims to provide skills that provide employability to women and to provide competencies and skills that enable women to become self-employed/entrepreneurs.
Features
- ‘Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) Scheme’ is intended to benefit women who are in the age group of 16 years and above across the country.
- The grant under the Scheme is given to an institution/ organisation including NGOs directly and not the States/ UTs.
- The assistance under STEP Scheme will be available in any sector for imparting skills related to employability and entrepreneurship, including but not limited to the Agriculture, Horticulture, Food Processing, Handlooms, Tailoring, Stitching, Embroidery, Zari etc, Handicrafts, Computer & IT enable services along with soft skills and skills for the work place such as spoken English, Gems & Jewellery, Travel & Tourism, & Hospitality.
- To mobilize women in small viable groups and make facilities available through training and access to credit.
- To provide training for skill upgradation.
- To enable groups of women to take up employment-cum-income generation programmes by providing backward and forward linkages.
- To provide support services for further improving training and employment conditions of women.
- The scheme is implemented through Public Sector Organisations, District Rural Development Agencies, Federations, Co-operatives and Voluntary Organisation registered under the societies Registration Act, 1860 or under the corresponding State Acts.
- Recipients of financial assistance under STEP are required to be bodies, organisations or agencies working in rural areas, although their headquarters may be located in an urban areas.
- Project staff and administrative cost.
- Training-stipend, training of trainers, skill upgradation reinforcement, trainingcum-production centres and raw material for training.
- Support to members for formation of co-operative societies, producers, workers co-operatives leading to formal legal organisation.
- Support services-education, general awareness, health-care, sanitation, nutrition/creche facilities for dependent children, wherever convergence of these services are not available will be provided as part of the project cost.
- Marketing support - marketing/sales personnel, stock provision and buyers credit godowns, marketing outlets, quality control and managerial support.
- Financial assistance will be provided for working capital and raw material in a phased manner starting with 100 per cent during the first year, 50 per cent in the second year and 30 per cent in the third year of the project.
- In percentage terms funding pattern will be restricted in the following manner of the total project cost (In percentage)
| Expenses | Fund Percent |
|---|---|
| Administration and Project staff cost | 6 |
| Training –technical skill training and orientation of beneficiaries & project functionaries | 20 |
| Infrastructure including marketing support quality control and Managerial support | 25 |
| Raw material for training including equipment and other material required for training | 25 |
| Establishment of development co-operatives wherever required-mobilisation and strengthening of field level set ups where such support is not available through the existing set up | 10 |
| Support services | 8 |
| Overriding cost | 6 |
Note
- Under this program, up to 90% of the project cost is borne by the Government of India.
- The remaining 10 per cent will have to be borne by the implementing agency from its own sources or through sources other then Government of India.
- Grants are released to the implementing agencies in 2 installments each year.
- The project should cover at lest 500 beneficiaries and the maximum could be 10,000 beneficiaries.