Social Welfare

Through the Plans

Five Year Plans : First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh

The Social Welfare Division handles two sectors; (i) Social Welfare; and (ii) Women and Child Development. The Social Welfare Sector deals the welfare, rehabilitation and development of persons with disabilities, social deviants and other disadvantaged in close co-ordination with the nodal Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Women and Child Development sector handles Empowerment of women and Development of Children in close co-ordination with the nodal Department of Women and Child Development. The primary functions of the Division, inter-alia, include the following:

Social Welfare

• Over all Policy Guidance / Advice both Governmental (central and State levels) and non-Governmental Organisations in the field of Social Welfare
• Work relating to Five Year and Annual Plans ( Social Welfare)

a) Central Sector

• Setting up of Working Groups at the Ministerial level and co­ordination with the nodal Ministry.
• Setting up of Steering Committees in the Planning Commission and its related work viz,, Organizing meetings; Preparation of background /agenda / minutes of the meetings; Preparation of Steering Committee Reports; Approach paper and the relevant Chapter for inclusion m the Plan Document.
• Examination of Plan Proposals (Five Year and Annual Plans) and preliminary discussions with the Ministry, Co­ordination with the PC Division and the Ministry with regard to Central Working, Groups; and Recommendation of Outlays; Budget Re-appropriation matters.

b) State Sector

• Examination of Plan Proposals; Organizing State Sectoral Working Group Discussions to review the implementation of both Policies and Programmes including the physical and financial targets / achievements; Recommendation of Sectoral Outlays;
• Mid-Term Appraisal.
• Review of the progress of implementation of Policies and Programmes
• Review of achievements in relation to the targets (both physical and financial)
• Suggestions for Mid Term corrections.
• Examination and preparation of Briefs along with the comments in respect of - i) Cabinet Notes; ii) EFC Memos; iii) SFC Memos; besides attending EFC/SFC Meetings.
• Advisory role with regard to functioning of Subordinate / Attached Organisations viz. National Institutes (National Institute of Orthopaedically Handicapped (NIOH), Calcutta: National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH), Dehradun; National Institute of Hearing Handicapped (NIHH), Bombay; National Institute of Mentally Handicapped (NIMH), Secunderabad, National Institute of Rehabilitation, Training and Research (NIRTAR), Cuttack; Institute of Physically Handicapped (IPH), New Delhi; Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), New Delhi; National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC), New Delhi: Artificial Limbs Manutactunng Corporation (ALIMCO), Kanpur; & National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), New Delhi.
• Representing; Planning Commission in the meetings of - Inter- Ministerial/Departmental Co-ordination Committees; Expert Committees; Project Sanctioning Committees/ Special Committees/ Study Teams etc. set up from time to time by the Ministry.
• All Parliamentary matters viz. answering Questions including supply of material within and outside the Planning Commission,
• Co-ordination with the related Divisions within the Planning Commission.
• Special Initiatives like - i) Preparation of Policy Oriented Papers; ii) Bringing out Statistical Profile and other Publications ; iii) Developing Information / Data-Base.
• Any other work including preparation of Speeches and writing Articles relating to Social Welfare.

Women and Child Development (WCD)

The Women and Child Development Division handles all the work relating to - i) Empowerment of Women; and ii) Development of Children in close co-ordination with the nodal Department of Women and Child Development. The primary functions of the Division, inter-alia, include the following:

• Over all Policy Guidance / Advice to both Governmental (central and state levels) and Non-Governmental Organizations in the field of Women and Child Development.
• Work relating to Five Year and Annual Plans
• Central Sector
• Setting up of Working Groups at the Ministerial level and co-ordination with the nodal Department,
• Setting up of Steering Committees in the Planning Commission and its related work viz. Organizing meetings; Preparation of background /agenda / minutes of the meetings; Preparation of Steering Committee Reports; Approach paper and the relevant Chapter for inclusion in the Plan Document.
• Examination of Plan Proposals (Five Year and Annual Plans) and preliminary discussions with the Ministry; Coordination with the Department with regard to Central Working Groups; and Recommendation of Outlays; Budget / Re-appropriation matters.

b. State Sector

• Examination of Plan Proposals; Organizing State Sectoral Working Group Discussions to review the implementation of both Policies and Programmes including the physical and financial targets /achievements; Recommendation of Sectoral Outlays;
• Mid-Term Appraisal
• Preview of the progress of implementation of Policies and Programmes,
• Review of achievements in relation to the targets (both physical and financial),
• Suggestions for Mid-Term corrections.
• Examination and preparation of Briefs along with the Comments in respect of - i) Cabinet Notes; ii) EFC Memos; iii) SFC Memos with regard to Schemes relating to Women and Children, besides attending EFC/SFC Meetings.
• Advisory role with regard to the Subordinate/Attached Organisations viz, National Commission for Women (NCW), New Delhi; Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB), New Delhi; National Institute for Public Co-operation and Child Development (NIPCCD), New Delhi; Rashtrya Mahila Kosh (RMK), New Delhi.
• Represening Planning Commission in the meetings of - Parliamentry Committees; Inter-Minstrial / Departmental Co­ ordination Committees; Expert Committees; Task Force on the Subject; Project Sanctioning Committees; Special Committees: Study Teams; etc. set up from time to time by the Department; Governing Board and General Body Meetings of the Subordinate Organizations.
• All Parliamentary matters viz. answaring Questions, supply of material within and outside the Planning Commission.
• Co-ordination with - i) women and child - related Ministies/ Departments; ii) Subject Divisions within the Planning Commission; and iii) UN and other International Agencies.
• Special Initiatives like - i) Preparation of Policy Oriented Papers; ii) Bringing out Statistical Profiles and other Publications; iii) Developing Information / Data-Base.
• Any other work including preparation of Speeches and writing Articles relating to Women and Child Development.