Kanyashree scheme

News:West Bengal government has decided to set up Kanyashree University in Nadia district and Kanyashree colleges across the state so as to empower girls. 

Facts:

About Kanyashree scheme:

• The Kanyashree scheme was started by the West Bengal government to empower girls in 2013. 
• In 2017,the Kanyashree scheme won the United Nations for Public Service award for its Kanyashree scheme.

Objectives:

• To ensure that girls study in schools and delay their marriages until they attain 18 years of age. 
• To empower girls from school to university level so that they can become independent women. 
• To improve the status and well-being of girls, particularly those from socio- economically disadvantaged families through conditional cash transfers.

Components of the scheme:The scheme has two cash transfer components

• An annual incentive of Rs 750 is given to girls in the age group 13 to 18 years old and studying in Class 8 for every year till they continue their education–provided they are unmarried at the time.
• One-time grant of Rs 25,000 is also given to girls once they attain the age of 18 years, provided they are engaged in an academic or occupational pursuit and unmarried.