Lok Sabha Question No. 76 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-02
Subject: Family Counselling Centres
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Krupal Balaji Tumane

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.76

TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2024

## FAMILY COUNSELLING CENTRES

## 76.     SHRI KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE

Will  the  Minister  of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB) is implementing welfare programmes for women and children through Voluntary Organizations in the country especially in Maharashtra, district-wise, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  CSWB  is  operating  Family  Counselling  Centres  to  provide counselling  to  women  and  children  in  distress,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  in Maharashtra, district-wise;
- (c) whether  CSWB  organises  various  welfare  activities  and  programmes  for women and children, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the amount of funds sanctioned for it during the last three years;
- (e) whether the Government has reviewed the functioning of the CSWB, if so, the details thereof, and
- (f) the other steps being taken by the Government to improve the working of the CSWB ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (c)   The Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB) was set up by a Resolution of Government of India on 12th August 1953 to promote social welfare activities and implement welfare programmes for women and children through voluntary organizations. The State Social Welfare Boards were set up in all States and Union Territories  to  work  together  with  Central  Social  Welfare  Board  as  well  as  State Governments for implementing programmes of the Board across the country.  The Board was functioning as an interface between government and the voluntary sector for  more  than  six  decades  having  a  country-wide  infrastructure  to  promote  social welfare activities, respond  to  changing  needs  of  society  by  developing  new programmes,  conducting  pieces  of  training,  implementation  and  monitoring  of  the programmes/schemes  of  the  government  being  implemented  by  the  voluntary organizations.

The Scheme of Family Counselling Centre (FCC) was introduced by Central Social Welfare Board in 1983. The centres provide counselling, referral and rehabilitative services to the women & children, who are victims of atrocities, family maladjustments and social ostracism and also provide crisis interventions and trauma counselling in case of  natural  and  man-made  disasters. The  centres also  create  awareness  and mobilize public opinion on social issues affecting status of women. The FCCs work in close collaboration with the local administration, police, courts, free legal aid cells, medical and psychiatric institutions, vocational training centres, Swadhar Greh, One Stop Centres etc.

There  are  54  number  of  Family  Counselling  Centres(FCCs)  in  the  State  of Maharashtra.

The Government has recently taken a policy decision to link the existing FCCs with the One Stop Centres(OSCs) and funding to the FCCs from the OSC Budget Head.

(d)       Details  of  amount  sanctioned  during  the  last  three  years  to  the  CSWB  for organising various welfare activities and programmes are as under:

| Year    |   Amount of funds sanctioned (in lakhs) |
|---------|-----------------------------------------|
| 2020-21 |                                 1764.72 |
| 2021-22 |                                 1697.4  |
| 2022-23 |                                 1564.93 |

(e)  &  (f)  The  Expenditure  Finance  Committee(EFC),  set  up  in  2014  under  the chairpersonship  of  Dr.  Bimal  Jalan  to  inter  alia  recommend  ways  to  rationalise Government expenditure, had recommend a comprehensive review of all autonomous bodies to rationalise their roles, their internal financial dynamics and dependence on the budgetary resources so that efficient and effective use of public money can be ensured. Further, NITI Aayog set up a Committee in 2017 under Shri Ratan P. Watal to conduct an in-depth review of autonomous bodies.

The  Committee  observed  that  activities  carried  out  by  the  Central  Social  Welfare Board (CSWB) do not justify having a separate Section 25 company as the support to SHGs  is  being  provided  more  than  adequately  by  Deendayal  Antyodaya  YojanaNational Rural Livelihoods Mission(DAY-NRLM) of Department of Rural Development and  skill  training  can  be  better  provided  by  Schemes  under  Ministry  of  Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The Committee has, therefore, recommended that the CSWB may be closed down.

The CSWB has since been closed and all operations of Board have already ceased to  exist.  The  staff  of  CSWB,  who  opted  for  voluntary  retirement  under  Special Voluntary  Retirement  Scheme(SVRS),  have  been  given  retirement  with  amount entitled  under  SVRS  and  gratuity,  leave  encashment  and  pension  as  per  service conditions. The remaining employees, who did not opt for voluntary retirement under SVRS,  have  been  deployed  on  deemed  deputation  in  National  Institute  of  Public Cooperation & Child Development(NIPCCD), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women & Child Development against the vacancies available therein.

******