The Government is strongly committed to ensuring safe, secure, and affordable hostel facilities for working women and those aspiring to join the workforce. These hostels play a crucial role in increasing women’s participation in the labor force and are a key step toward achieving the goal of “Women-led Development.”
Under the Sakhi Niwas Scheme—also known as the Working Women Hostel (WWH) Scheme—which operates within the broader Mission Shakti framework, the Government provides support for hostel accommodation based on local needs. This is a centrally sponsored, demand-driven scheme, where States and Union Territories assess requirements and submit proposals, which are reviewed and approved by the Programme Approval Board (PAB).
The scheme is designed to provide safe, accessible accommodation for working women and those pursuing higher education or training. It includes provisions for daycare facilities for their children, and supports hostels in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas where employment opportunities for women exist. Notably, the current scheme provides funding for rented accommodations only, as the greenfield construction component has been discontinued.
However, under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme by the Department of Expenditure (DoE), Ministry of Finance, the Centre has allocated ₹5,000 crore for the construction of new working women hostels (greenfield projects) across 28 States during FY 2024–25. States submitted proposals after assessing their specific needs, and based on these, the DoE has already released the first installment of funds for the hostel construction.
It’s important to note that the Sakhi Niwas Scheme does not include provisions for skill development or marketing support for hostel beneficiaries.
Additionally, the Empowered Committee under the Nirbhaya Fund has approved further greenfield construction of hostels—7 in Uttarakhand, 3 in Uttar Pradesh, 7 in Nagaland, 1 in Punjab, 3 in Tamil Nadu, and 1 at the University of Delhi.
