RBI Circular No: RPCD GSS Div. BC No.04/09.16.01/2011-12 (01-Jul-11) Master Circular Priority Sector Lending- Special ProgrammesSwarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY
The Chairman / Managing Director
All Scheduled Commercial Banks
(Excluding RRBs)
Dear Sir,
Reserve Bank of India has periodically issued instructions/directives to banks with regard to operationalisation of the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY). To enable banks to have current instructions at one place, a Master Circular incorporating all the existing guidelines/instructions/directives on the scheme has been prepared and is appended. We advise that this Master Circular consolidates all the previous instructions issued by RBI from time to time till date, which are listed in Annexure III.
Please acknowledge receipt.
Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
Dr. Deepali Pant Joshi
Chief General Manager-in Charge
Master Circular Priority Sector Lending
Special Programmes Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)
| 1 | Introduction |
| 2. | Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) - Salient features |
| 3. | Funding Pattern and Financial Procedures |
| 4. | Urban Self-Employment Programme (USEP) |
| 5. | Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP) |
| 6. | Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP) |
| 7. | Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP) |
| 8. | Urban Community Development Network (UCDN) - Community Structures, Community Development & Empowerment |
| 9. | Programme Implementation - Administrative & Other Expenses (A & OE) |
| 10. | Information, Education & Communication (IEC) |
| 11. | Innovative / Special Projects |
| 12. | Special Component Programme |
| 13. | Monitoring & Evaluation |
| 14. | General |
| 15. | Others |
| Annexures | |
| I | Procedure for Identifying an Urban Poor Household for Economic Benefits |
| II | Non-Economic Parameters to be Considered for Determining Eligibility of a Household for Drawing Benefits under SJSRY |
| III | Operational Details in Regard to Self-Employment (Group) through Setting Up of Micro-Enterprises under UWSP |
| IV | Indicative Principles for Self-Help Groups / Thrift & Credit Societies |
| V | Operational Guidelines for Skills Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (Step-Up) |
| VI | Community-Based Structures to be Set Up under SJSRY |
| VII | Formats for Submission of Proposals for Innovative / Special Projects under SJSRY |
1. Introduction
1.1. The Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) was launched on 01.12.1997 after subsuming the earlier three schemes for urban poverty alleviation, namely Nehru Rozgar Yojana (NRY), Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP), and Prime Minister's Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Programme (PMIUPEP). The key objective of the Scheme was to provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed or underemployed through the setting up of self-employment ventures or provision of wage employment.
1.2 To overcome the difficulties faced by the States / UTs and address certain drawbacks in the implementation of SJSRY, the Guidelines of the Scheme have been revised. It is presumed that the revised guidelines will assist in the effective implementation of SJSRY and make a dent on the urban poverty scenario in the country. The Revised Guidelines will come into effect from 1.4.2009.
2. Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana: Salient Features
Objectives
2.1. The objectives of the revised Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) are:
* Addressing urban poverty alleviation through gainful employment to the urban unemployed or underemployed poor by encouraging them to set up self employment ventures (individual or group), with support for their sustainability; or undertake wage employment;
* Supporting skill development and training programmes to enable the urban poor have access to employment opportunities opened up by the market or undertake self-employment; and
* Empowering the community to tackle the issues of urban poverty through suitable self- managed community structures like Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs), Neighbourhood Committees (NHC), Community Development Society (CDS), etc.
The delivery of inputs under the Scheme shall be through the medium of urban local bodies and community structures. Thus, Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana seeks to strengthen these local bodies and community organizations to enable them address the issues of employment and income generation facing the urban poor.
Coverage
2.2. The target population under SJSRY is the urban poor - those living below the poverty line, as defined by the Planning Commission from time to time.
Components
2.3. SJSRY will have five major components, namely -
(i) Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP)
(ii) Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP)
(iii) Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP)
(iv) Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP)
(v) Urban Community Development Network (UCDN)
To accord special focus on the issues of urban poverty amongst Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), a special component programme of SJSRY, called the Urban Programme for Poverty reduction amongst SCs & STs (UPPS), will be carved out of USEP and STEP-UP.
3. Funding Pattern and Financial Procedures
3.1. Funding under SJSRY will be shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25.
3.2. For Special Category States (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) this ratio will be 90:10 between the Centre and States.
3.3. The Central share under SJSRY will be tentatively allocated between the States / UTs in relation to the incidence of urban poverty (number of urban poor) estimated by the Planning Commission from time to time. However, additional parameters like absorption capacity (based on the past trend in utilization of SJSRY funds) and special requirement will also be taken into consideration during the course of the year.
3.4. Central funds will be released to the States / UTs only after they fulfill the prescribed criteria regarding submission of Utilization Certificates (UCs) as well as release of matching State share for the past releases. However, in order to promote better utilization of funds under the Scheme, the idle funds at the Central level, which could not be released to the States / UTs not fulfilling the prescribed criteria, may be diverted to better-performing States / UTs in the fourth quarter of a financial year, keeping in view their performance and demand for additional funds.
3.5. Release of funds to the States / UTs will be made for SJSRY as a whole, without segregating into components, thereby giving flexibility to them in utilizing funds. However, indicative component-wise allocation of Central share may be intimated by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation to the States / UTs from time to time so as to ensure balanced coverage of all the components of SJSRY as well as better utilization of available funds.
3.6. State / UT-wise annual physical targets under the Scheme will be fixed on the basis of the all India targets decided by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation. State / UT-wise progress will be monitored against these targets and therefore the States/ UTs ought to prioritize the flow of funds to different components of the Scheme so that the annual targets are achieved.
3.7. The release of Central share to the States / UTs will be done in instalments. The same will be a continuous process spread over the whole year. Central share will be released to the States / UTs as soon as they become eligible in terms of the prescribed criteria.
4. Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP)
4.1. This Component will be having two sub-components:
(i) Assistance to individual urban poor beneficiaries for setting up gainful self employment ventures [Loan & Subsidy]
(ii) Technology / marketing / infrastructure / knowledge & other support provided to the urban poor in setting up their enterprises as well as marketing their products [Technology, Marketing & Other Support].
4.2. Urban Self Employment Programme (Loan & Subsidy)
4.2.1. This component of SJSRY focuses on providing assistance to individual urban poor beneficiaries for setting up gainful self-employment ventures - micro-enterprises.
Coverage
4.2.2. The programme will be applicable to all cities and towns on a whole town basis. Within each town, it will be implemented by selecting whole clusters of the poor segments so as to bring in efficiencies in the administration and the delivery mechanisms and also make the impact visible.
Target Groups
4.2.3. USEP will target the urban population below poverty line, as defined by the Planning Commission from time to time. It will lay special focus on women, persons belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) / Scheduled Tribes (ST), differently-abled persons and such other categories as may be indicated by the Government from time to time. The percentage of women beneficiaries under USEP shall not be less than 30%. SCs and STs must be benefited at least to the extent of the proportion of their strength in the city / town population below poverty line (BPL). A special provision of 3% reservation in the total number of beneficiaries should be made for the differently-abled under USEP.
In view of the Prime Minister's New 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities, 15% of the physical and financial targets under the Urban Self Employment Programme at the national level shall be earmarked for the minority communities.
Educational Qualification
4.2.4. No minimum or maximum educational qualification is prescribed for selection of beneficiaries under USEP. Where the identified activity for micro-enterprise development requires skill training of an appropriate level, the same will be provided to the beneficiaries before extending financial support.
Beneficiary Identification
4.2.5. A house-to-house survey for identification of genuine beneficiaries, with focus on slums and low-income settlements, will need to be conducted. Model Formats for conduct of slum survey...
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