Centre revamps Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana

New Delhi, Nov 12 (ANI): The Union Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry on Thursday comprehensively revamped the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) with a view to providing gainful employment to the urban unemployed and underemployed.

The new scheme will commence with financial year 2009-2010.

The SJSRY which was launched in 1997 has five major components of Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP), Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP) Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP), Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP), Urban Community Development Network (UCDN).

In the new scheme, for the beneficiary under the USEP the education limit criteria of "not educated beyond 9th standard" has been removed and now no minimum or maximum educational qualification level has been prescribed for the purpose of eligibility of assistance.

According to the new scheme, the project cost ceiling for the self-employment (individual category), has been enhanced to Rs. 2.00 lakhs from the existing Rs. 50,000/- and the subsidy has also been enhanced to 25 percent of the project cost (subject to a maximum of Rs. 50,000/-), from the existing 15 percent of the project cost (subject to a maximum of Rs. 7500/-).

For the group enterprises set up by urban poor women, the subsidy has been made as 35 percent of the project cost or Rs. 3, 00,000/- or Rs. 60,000/- per member of the group, whichever is less.

The new scheme has reduced the minimum number required to form a women group from 10 to 5. The revolving fund entitlement per member has also been enhanced from the existing Rs. 1,000/- to Rs. 2,000/-.

The Skill Training of the urban poor component has been restructured and quality skill training will be provided to the urban poor linking it with certification, imparted preferably on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, with the involvement of reputed institutions like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), National Institute of Technology (NIT ) Poly-techniques, ITIs, other reputed agencies etc.

The new scheme enhanced the average expenditure ceiling per trainee from Rs. 2,600/- to Rs. 10,000/-.

Meanwhile the central allocation under SJSRY has also been enhanced to Rs 515 Crores in 2009-10. (ANI)