'Hunar', a scheme jointly launched by the Union HRD Ministry and Bihar Government to make women from minority communities self-dependent, is turning out to be a "huge success" in the state with over 13,000 of them joining the programme.
Under the scheme, started on an experimental basis in July last year, women from minority communities are being trained in computers and other skills like weaving, knitting, and child and maternity care.
"Hunar (Talent) is a huge success in Bihar which is the first state in India to implement the scheme. Altogether 13,884 candidates got enrolled for the programme," National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) Chairman Dinesh Singh Bishth told a news agency.
The NIOS in collaboration with Bihar Education Project is engaged in implementing the scheme.
S Singh, Regional Director of the programme, said that the success of the project has encouraged the state government to extend the scheme for a further period of one year with a plan to enroll 50,000 Muslim girls this year.
Describing the programme as "highly-effective" in Bihar, state minority commission chairperson Baushad Ahmed said the scheme was proving to be "a big help in improving the social condition of the Muslims".
Called as skill development scheme for women from minorities, the blueprint for the project was prepared by the NIOS, which is provide free boarding for girls at the training centres.
There are over 10 millions Muslims in Bihar accounting for over 15 percent of the state's population. Despite several schemes for minorities, only 36 percent of the Muslims in Bihar are literate.
However, Muslim women in Bihar have literacy rate of 31.5 percent.
Under 'Hunar' scheme, after successfully completing the training, the candidates would be given Rs 2,000 as a grant to purchase machines or equipment related to their trade so that the can start their own business, Bishth said.
From this session, bee keeping, mushroom production, computer hardware, drawing, DTP, embroidery and elementary computer would also be added in the training, he said.
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By : News Team
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