Navi Mumbai: NMMC Approves 20 Welfare Schemes For Women, Children, Students And Transgender Persons

Navi Mumbai, July 22: In a major push towards women's empowerment and social welfare, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) General Body on Tuesday unanimously approved 20 welfare schemes aimed at supporting women, children, students, self-help groups and transgender persons across the city.

The proposals, tabled by the Social Development Department, received the nod during the General Body meeting chaired by Mayor Sujata Patil.

The schemes cover a wide range of benefits, including financial assistance for the marriages of daughters of widowed, divorced and destitute women, scholarships for children from economically weaker families, aid for orphaned children, livelihood support for women suffering from critical illnesses, transport facilities for students of NMMC schools, financial assistance to women's self-help groups and skill development programmes for women, transgender persons and women seeking rehabilitation from sex work.

Wide Range Of Welfare Measures

The civic body has also approved financial assistance for girls pursuing professional courses after Class XII, including medical, engineering and management education.

Other initiatives include grants for adoptive parents of orphaned children, one-time financial assistance to widows following the death of the family's earning member, support for children orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic and assistance for elderly widowed, divorced and destitute single women aged above 60 years.

The proposals, presented by Women and Child Welfare Committee Chairperson Saluja Sutar, were discussed in detail by corporators, who suggested several improvements. The General Body authorised the Mayor to scrutinise these recommendations and incorporate suitable amendments before the schemes are rolled out.

Mayor Sujata Patil directed the administration to expedite implementation of the schemes, stating that they have been designed to address the changing needs of women and children.

She also recommended introducing yoga training as part of the programmes and instructed officials to ensure that the benefits reach the maximum number of eligible beneficiaries through group organisers.

Implementation To Be Strengthened

Deputy Mayor Dasharath Bhagat proposed the formation of an evaluation committee to periodically assess the effectiveness of the schemes and suggested revising eligibility conditions from time to time to keep them relevant.

Municipal Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde said several suggestions made by corporators were practical and could be incorporated during implementation.

These include relaxing scholarship eligibility criteria, expanding the range of livelihood equipment provided to women, facilitating dignified rehabilitation and self-employment opportunities for women engaged in sex work, creating employment avenues for transgender persons through skill development, streamlining school bus services, issuing identity cards to students using the transport facility, simplifying scholarship application procedures, creating dedicated spaces for women to market their products and introducing a mobile application for scheme applications.

"These schemes are NMMC's commitment to inclusive and sustainable social development. As Navi Mumbai grows with major infrastructure projects such as the international airport, data centres and the hospitality sector, we will also align our skill development programmes with emerging employment opportunities so that women and youth are equipped to benefit from the city's economic growth," Dr Shinde said.

Also Watch:

The civic administration is expected to begin implementing the 20 schemes after incorporating the approved recommendations and finalising the operational guidelines.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/