Cabinet approves scheme for adolescent girls

New Delhi, Aug 16 (ANI): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today gave its approval for implementation of the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls -"SABLA".

The scheme has been recommended by the Group of Ministers and aims at enhancing the nutritional and economic status of adolescent girls.

These districts will be selected using a set of indicators and will be a combination in equal proportion of good performing, moderate and not so well performing, districts in all the States/UTs.

The Adolescent Girls (AGs) will be provided Take Home Ration (THR) under the Scheme. However, if any State/UT insists on providing hot cooked meal, standards should be set for the same.

Separately, the Ministry will explore feasibility of implementing Conditional Cash Transfer scheme as an alternative for AGs in 100 more districts. The Cash transfer will be made contingent on the conditions to be fulfilled which will need to be laid down clearly and which should be implementable.

An allocation of Rs. 4500 crores has been made for implementing the scheme during the remaining period of the XI Five Year Plan. For 2010-11, a provision of Rs.1000 crore has been made in the Budget.

In the initial years, an estimate of 40-50 per cent accessing the scheme, 0.92 crore to 1.15 crore adolescent girls of 11-18 years per annum are expected to be covered under the scheme during the XI Plan.

It will be implemented using the platform of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme. In AWCs where infrastructure and facilities are inadequate, alternative arrangements would be made in schools/ panchayats/ community building etc. (ANI)