Centre Allocates Rs 500 Billion for Working Women Hostels

08 Apr 2025 CW Team

In a significant push towards women-led development, the Central Government has allocated Rs 500 billion under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) for the construction of new Working Women Hostels (WWH) across 28 States during the 2024–25 fiscal year.

This initiative is separate from the ongoing Sakhi Niwas Scheme — a centrally sponsored programme under Mission Shakti — that supports States/UTs in providing rental-based hostel accommodation for working women and those pursuing higher education or training. While the greenfield construction component has been discontinued under Sakhi Niwas, SASCI has revived that stream with dedicated capital support.

The Department of Expenditure, under the Ministry of Finance, has released the first instalment of funds to all 28 States based on proposals assessing local needs. These hostels will also provide day-care facilities for children and are intended to be built in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas where employment opportunities for women exist.

Additionally, the Empowered Committee under the Nirbhaya Fund has appraised greenfield construction of several more hostels: seven in Uttarakhand, three in Uttar Pradesh, seven in Nagaland, three in Tamil Nadu, one in Punjab, and one for the University of Delhi.

Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur, shared these developments in response to a question in the Lok Sabha, reiterating the government’s commitment to safe, secure, and affordable accommodation for working women — a cornerstone for boosting their participation in the workforce.

Notably, the Sakhi Niwas scheme currently does not offer provisions for skill development or marketing support to its beneficiaries.

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

VECV Sales Rise 7.8 Per Cent In May 2026

VE Commercial Vehicles recorded sales of 7,978 units in May 2026, compared to 7,401 units in May 2025, registering growth of 7.8 per cent. This included 7,789 units from the Eicher brand and 189 units from the Volvo brand.Eicher branded trucks and buses reported sales of 7,789 units during the month, up 7.3 per cent from 7,258 units a year earlier. In the domestic commercial vehicle market, Eicher sales rose 9.1 per cent to 7,375 units from 6,758 units in May 2025.Exports declined 17.2 per cent to 414 units from 500 units in the corresponding month last year. Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses recor..

Table Space Strengthens DESYN Leadership Team

Table Space has announced strategic leadership appointments within DESYN, its integrated Design and Build business, as it looks to strengthen operations across key enterprise and GCC markets in India. DESYN was launched as a strategic extension of Table Space’s workspace solutions portfolio to meet rising demand for agile, high-quality and rapidly deployable enterprise workspaces.Shruti Ookabhoy has joined DESYN as Executive Director and will lead the Design vertical, focusing on design capability, operational excellence and team development across markets. She brings over 22 years of experi..

Concord Associate Bags Rs 2.79 Bn Kavach Order

Concord Control Systems said its associate company, Progota India, has received a Rs 2.79 bn domestic order from Indian Railways for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of on-board Kavach 4.0 loco equipment.The order is scheduled for execution within 12 months and strengthens Concord’s role in India’s railway safety and signalling ecosystem. Kavach is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, designed to improve operational safety by helping prevent signal passing at danger and reducing collision risks.Gaurav Lath, Joint Managing Director, Concord Control Syst..