Will UGC's Pan India Scheme Help Female Students Moving To Cities?

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has introduced a new scheme to provide affordable and safe accommodation to women and girls who relocate from rural areas to Tier-1 and metro cities. The 'Sakhi Niwas' has been introduced under the Mission Shakti scheme in a bid to encourage more women and girls to migrate to cities for educational or employment opportunities. According to the UGC notification, the hostels will have all the fundamental amenities such as lodging, meals and day-care facilities for the women's children.

NDTV reported that the Ministry of Child and Women Development (MWCD) has suggested the UGC identify suitable land /built-up space within university campuses for establishing Working Women Hostels (WWH). Reportedly, the MCWD would provide the cost of construction and management of the facilities if the universities can provide the space.

Why Sakhi Niwas?

According to reports, the University Grants Commission released a notification that states that the Sakhi Niwas is being introduced to encourage more women to migrate for educational and employment opportunities across India. Under this initiative, women and girls from rural areas need not worry about the expenses of accommodation when they relocate to big cities. 

The UGC notification details the growing participation of women in the workforce. "As you are aware, India's progress in STEM education sees a commendable 43% representation of women graduates. The labour force participation of women has increased from 23.3% to 37%. The vision of the Prime Minister is that the women should lead in the Amrit Kaal, as without ensuring their progress, the overall progress of society is not possible."

While this shows a positive trend in India, one of the challenges that people face when they migrate from rural areas to big cities is the lack of support in finding an affordable stay. The UGC states that this will be tackled by the newly introduced initiative. The UGC notification states that the hostels are equipped will all facilities that would elevate their experience.

The notification reads, "Sakhi Niwas offers a secure haven equipped with fundamental amenities such as lodging, meals and day-care facilities for their children, wherever feasible. This initiative operates on a nominal cost basis, catering to the needs of working women in urban, semi-urban or even rural areas, where employment avenues for women exist."