Development of women and children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)

Development of women and children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) was launched as a sub scheme of
IRDP during the year 1982-83 in 50 districts. It subsequently extended to cover all the districts in the
country by 1994-95. The flow of benefits to poor women, in spite of reservation, under various
poverty alleviation programmes viz. IRDP and TRYSEM were found to be not making much impact.
Therefore, in order to overcome this situation and to involve the rural women more intensely in
economic activities and matters that concerns the rural community. One of the initiatives taken by
this ministry was the introduction of an exclusive programme for women viz. Development of women
& children in rural areas. DWCRA with exclusive focus on economic empowerment of women
provides all these inputs by considering women as critical to development. This intervention aims at
not only raising the incomes of rural women of poor households, but also enabling organized
participation of groups of women provides all these inputs by considering women as critical to
development: also enabling organized participation of groups of women in the programmes of credit,
skill training and infrastructure support for self-employment. DWCRA was introduced for ensuring
that the benefits of IRDP reach to women directly. The programme seeks to improve the access of
rural women to health, education, safe drinking water, sanitation, nutrition etc; thereby bringing about
an enhancement in the quality of general well being of women & children.

Strategy
The basic unit under DWCRA is a group of 10-15 poor women who have come together to help each
other in order to use their collective strength to break social bonds that have denied them income
generating and self-fulfilling opportunities. The group size may be smaller in difficult terrain and farflung areas. One woman amongst the members functions as the group organizer who helps in the
choice of activity, procurement of raw material, marketing of products. Before undertaking the
activities women were made aware of the objectives and benefits of group information under the
scheme; undertaking their potential and recognizing their strength. At the operational level
inputs/coaching for such an exercise by the group is given by gram sevika for a period of two years,
who not only creates a group but also nurtures the group and orients them in availing of benefits of
various other programmes/schemes.
Implementing Agency and Staffing Pattern
DWCRA is being implemented by the district Rural Development Agencies to facilitate the
implementation of scheme one post of Assistant Project officer (Woman) has been sanctioned to be
part of the DRDA team. One additional post of Gram Sevika has also been sanctioned at the block
level to look after the activities of the groups. This is addition to the two Gram Sevika in the normal
block pattern.
The Assistant Project officer (APO), the additional Gram Sevika along with two Gram Sevikas and
Mukhya Sevika already available with CD Block from a team to help in the implementation of
DWCRA. The conduct preliminary surveys of the area, and establish contacts with the rural women,
identifying their constraints and needs. The team is responsible for monitoring and follow up. The
APO is to help in establishing contracts with different agencies, in mobilisation of resources and
training facilities, also to look after the day to day administration of the scheme within the DRDA.
Implementation of the entire DRDA is the overall responsibility of the entire DRDA team headed by
the project officer or Project Director.
Community Based Convergent Services
The Community Based Convergent Services (CBCS), as a component of DWCRA was started in
1991 in a few districts of the country is a pilot programme. The objective was to create greater
awareness among the village communities to enable them to demand social services provided by
the state in a better manner and also share responsibilities in the management and implementation

of these services, thus, leading to sustainable development. Traditional methods like visuals, role
play, folk art, puppetry, dance and drama etc, are some of the means employed for sensitizing the
community to the basic needs. The Programme seeks to strengthen existing organization of rural
poor women, encourage the level of social and economic status of women. The programmes of
ICDS, Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, and National Literacy Mission (NLM) are some
of the programmes which are sought to be converged at the grass roots level- 298 districts
community based convergent Services (CBCS) with cent per cent Central assistance at Rs. 5.00
Lakhs per district.

Child Care Activities

Child Care Activities (CCA) has been incorporated in DWCRA Programme during 1995-96 with the
following objectives:

To provide crche services for children of working DWCRA women.

Setting up of literacy centres of DWCRA women with specific emphasis on girl child dropouts and
illiterate members of the DWCRA groups.

Filling up critical gaps in the areas of immunization, nutrition etc. for the children of DWCRA
members with special focus and emphasis on the girl child to reduce gender disparities in the infant
girl child care.

To provide some relief to the physically handicapped children of DWCRA members. To provide
immediate relief and pay for legal assistance in case of redressal of physical abuse of the girl child.

Children below 6 years are the target group under child Care Activities. Each DRDA is to receive Rs.
1.50 lakhs (Rs. 1.00 lakhs Central Share and Rs. 50,000 as state share) for child care Activities.

Funding Pattern
Each DWCRA group gets Rs. 25,000 as Revolving Fund to meet capital expenditure requirement of
economic activities. Expenditure on revolving fund was being shared equally by the central
government, state Government and UNICEF till 1994-95. UNICEF assistance was not available from
1.1.96. The revolving fund has been increased from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 25,000 during 1995-96.
Presently, the expenditure for revolving fund is being shared by the centre and state on 50:50 bases.

Coverage
Initially no specific coverage of vulnerable groups such as SC/STs was fixed. However, during the
year 1997-98, it has been made compulsory that 50% of the groups have to be women belonging to
SC/ST.
Priority has to be given to physically handicapped persons and also girls and women rehabilitated
from prostitution.