The Central Government has allocated Rs 5,000 crore for the construction of new women’s hostels across 28 states under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) for the financial year 2024-25. The Department of Expenditure (DoE), Ministry of Finance, has released the first instalment of funds to the states after assessing their requirements.
The initiative aims to provide safe, secure, and affordable accommodation for working women and those pursuing higher education or training, enhancing their participation in the workforce. The new hostels will be established under the Sakhi Niwas Scheme (Working Women Hostel – WWH), which falls under the Mission Shakti umbrella.
While the Sakhi Niwas Scheme typically operates on a rental-based model, the newly sanctioned hostels will be greenfield constructions, a provision not included in the original scheme. However, there is no provision for skill development or marketing facilities for hostel beneficiaries under this initiative.
The Empowered Committee under the Nirbhaya Fund has also approved additional greenfield hostels, including:
· 7 hostels in Uttarakhand
· 3 hostels in Uttar Pradesh
· 7 hostels in Nagaland
· 1 hostel in Punjab
· 3 hostels in Tamil Nadu
· 1 hostel for the University of Delhi
This information was provided by Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, in the Lok Sabha in response to a question.