The Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation is implementing an employment oriented Urban Poverty Alleviation Centrally sponsored scheme named Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY), on all India basis, with effect from 1.12.1997. The scheme has been comprehensively revamped with effect from 2009-2010.  The scheme strives to provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed and under employed poor, through encouraging the setting up of self employment ventures by the urban poor living below the poverty line, skills training and also through providing wage employment by utilizing their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets. The thrust areas of the revised scheme are:

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 major changes that have been effected in the new scheme compared to the old are:

(i).        For special category States (8 NER States and 3 other hilly States i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), the funding pattern for the Scheme between Centre and the States, has been revised from 75 :25 to 90:10.

(ii).       For the beneficiary under the Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP) component of the Scheme, 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.

(iii).For the self-employment (individual category), the project cost ceiling has been enhanced to Rs. 2.00 Lakhs from the existing Rs. 50000/- and the subsidy has also been enhanced to 25% of the project cost (subject to a maximum of Rs. 50000/-), from the existing 15% of the project cost (subject to a maximum of Rs. 7500/-).

(iv).For the group enterprises set up by urban poor women, the subsidy has been made as 35% of the project cost or Rs. 300,000/- or Rs. 60,000/- per member of the Group, whichever is less. The minimum number required to form a women group has been reduced from 10 to 5. The revolving fund entitlement per member has also been enhanced from the existing Rs. 1000/- to Rs. 2000/-.

(v).       Under the Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP) component, which is applicable to the towns having population less than 5 Lakhs as per 1991 census, the 60:40 Material labour ratio for the works under UWEP, flexibility of 10% (either side) is now accorded to the States/UTs.

(vi).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 IITs, NITs, Poly-techniques, ITIs, other reputed agencies etc. The average expenditure ceiling per trainee has been enhanced from the Rs. 2600/- to Rs. 10000/-.

(vii). 3% of the total Scheme allocation will be retained at the Central level for special /innovative projects to be undertaken to implement a time-bound targeting to bring a specific number of BPL families above the poverty line through self-employment or skill development. 

The revised scheme has the following components:

(i)         Urban Self Employment Programme(USEP):

(ii)        Urban Women Self-help Programme(UWSP)

(ii)        Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor(STEP-UP)

(iv)       Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP):

(v)        Urban Community Development Network (UCDN):

During the year 2010-2011 an amount of Rs. 581.50 Crore was released to the States/UTs. under this SJSRY Scheme. The targets and achievements under the key components of the scheme are as follows:

Financial Progress

Physical Progress

 * As per report received from States/UTs as on   31-01-2012.

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