Introduction to Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)

With a view to provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed or underemployed through encouraging the setting up of self-employment ventures or provision of wage employment, a new urban poverty alleviation programme, namely, Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) was launched on 01.12.1997 after subsuming the earlier three Urban Poverty Alleviation Schemes, namely Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP), Nehru Rozgar Yojana (NRY) and Prime Minister’s Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Programme (PMI UPEP).

The Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) seeks to provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed or underemployed poor through encouraging the setting up of self-employment ventures (Individual of Group) or provision of wage employment. This programme relies upon creation of suitable community structures like Community Development Society (CDS), Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs), Neighbourhood Committees (NHC) etc. and delivery of inputs under this programme shall be through the medium of urban local bodies and such community structures.

The three key objectives of the revised Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) are:

• Addressing urban poverty alleviation through gainful employment to the urban unemployed or underemployed poor;

• Supporting skill development and training to enable the urban poor have access to employment opportunities provided by the market or undertake self-employment; and

• Empowering the community to tackle the issues of urban poverty through suitable self-managed community structures and capacity building programmes.

The revamped SJSRY has five major components,namely-

(i). Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP)

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

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

(iv). Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP)

(v). Urban Community Development Network (UCDN)

The above programmes have to be implemented in convergence with other programmes relating to slum development/urban poverty alleviation such as Jawharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission(JNNURM), Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY), Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Mid-day Meals Scheme (MMS), Integrated Child Development Scheme(ICDS), Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSS), National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), Skill Development Initiative Scheme (SDIS) – Modular Employable Skills (MES), etc.

Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)revised Guidelines: