Grant-in-Aid to NGOs Running Residential Homes for Children, Aged and Vulnerable Persons under Social Defence, Puducherry

What is the Grant-in-Aid to NGOs running residential homes under Social Defence?

Grant-in-Aid to Non-Governmental Organisations Running Residential Homes for the Children, Aged and Vulnerable Persons under Social Defence is a scheme of the Social Defence Section, Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Puducherry. The scheme part-funds the running cost of residential homes that NGOs operate for orphans, destitute and street children, aged and infirm persons, and physically and mentally disabled persons.

According to the Directorate's Citizen Charter, non-governmental organisations are paid Rs 1,000 per month per inmate for 12 months. The financial assistance is limited to 90 per cent of the grant-in-aid, and the organisation is required to bear 10 per cent itself. The grant is released in two equal instalments by the Department of Social Welfare.

The grant is a consolidated recurring grant, not a project grant. The Citizen Charter lists what it covers: food, clothing, soap, oil, electricity and water charges, postage, stationery, education, vocational training, health, recreation, salary of staff and rent. In short, the everyday cost of keeping a home open.

Puducherry's social defence network is a mix of government and NGO institutions. The Directorate itself runs the Observation Home and Special School at Ariyankuppam, Homes for the Aged and Infirm in Puducherry, Karaikal and Mahe, Aravanaippu Illam, and the Home for Visually Challenged Persons. Alongside these sit dozens of licensed NGO homes and special schools across the Union Territory, and it is those NGOs that this grant supports.

This is an institutional scheme. An individual cannot apply for a personal benefit under it. A person in need of shelter should approach a home directly or the Social Defence Section of the Directorate; the grant described here goes to the organisation running the home, not to the resident.

Which organisations are eligible for the grant?

An organisation can apply if:

• It runs a residential home for orphans, destitute and street children, aged and infirm persons, or physically and mentally disabled persons.
• It is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860; or is a public trust registered under any law in force; or is a charitable company licensed under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956.
• It has ordinarily existed for three continuous years at the time of application. This condition may be relaxed by the Government in deserving cases where the institution could not be run without government assistance and was started with the sole object of supplementing the social welfare activities of the Government.
• It has been licensed by the Department of Social Welfare under the Women and Children Licensing Rules, 1956.
• It has a properly constituted managing body with powers, duties and responsibilities clearly defined and laid down in writing.
• Its financial position is sound.
• It has the facilities and resources for running the residential home.
• It is non-sectarian, offering services to beneficiaries irrespective of religion, caste, colour or creed.

An organisation is not eligible and cannot apply if:

• It is unregistered, or registered under none of the three permitted legal forms.
• It has existed for less than three years and does not qualify for the relaxation.
• It is not licensed under the Women and Children Licensing Rules, 1956.
• It is run for the profit of any individual or body of individuals.
• It is sectarian, restricting its beneficiaries by religion, caste, colour or creed.
• It is not free from corrupt practices, which the Citizen Charter lists as an explicit condition.
• It runs day services or outreach only, without a residential home.

Individuals, informal shelters and unregistered charitable groups are not eligible under this scheme in any circumstances.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the social defence grant-in-aid in Puducherry

1. Confirm that the home is licensed under the Women and Children Licensing Rules, 1956 by the Department of Social Welfare, and that the registration of the organisation is current.
2. Complete the annual audit and have the audit report ready. A sound financial position is an eligibility condition, not merely a formality.
3. Prepare the utilisation certificate for any grant already received. The department will not release a further grant against an outstanding utilisation.
4. Compile the annual report and the inmate register for the year, since the grant is calculated at Rs 1,000 per inmate per month.
5. Fill in the grant-in-aid application available from the Social Defence Section, attaching the registration certificate or licence, the memorandum and bye-laws, the audit report, the utilisation certificate and the annual report.
6. Submit the application to the Field Officer, Social Defence Section, Directorate of Social Welfare, Puducherry; the Assistant Director, Social Welfare Department sub-office, Karaikal; or the Welfare Officer (i/c), Social Welfare Department sub-office, Mahe or Yanam.
7. Collect the acknowledgement and track the file through the annual processing cycle.

How much is released and when?

For a home with 20 inmates, the annual grant works out to Rs 1,000 × 20 × 12 = Rs 2,40,000 as the full grant-in-aid, of which the government's 90 per cent share is Rs 2,16,000 and the organisation contributes Rs 24,000. Applications are processed once a year.

The Directorate publishes year-wise lists of grant-in-aid released to NGOs under both State GIA and Central GIA headings on its website, which lets an organisation see what comparable homes have received in past years.

How does an NGO check the status of its grant?

1. Note the file number issued by the Social Defence Section on submission.
2. Contact the Field Officer, Social Defence Section, Directorate of Social Welfare, Puducherry, or the Assistant Director in Karaikal, or the Welfare Officer in Mahe or Yanam.
3. Ask specifically whether the utilisation certificate for the previous grant has been accepted, since a pending utilisation blocks the next release more often than anything else.
4. Once the first instalment is released, confirm the timeline for the second instalment, since the grant is paid in two equal parts.

Why grant-in-aid applications get rejected or held up

• Licence under the Women and Children Licensing Rules, 1956 lapsed or never obtained.
• Utilisation certificate for an earlier grant not submitted, which stops the file at the first review.
• Audit report missing or qualified, so the financial position cannot be certified as sound.
• Organisation less than three years old and not covered by the relaxation.
• Managing body not properly constituted, or its powers and duties not recorded in writing.
• Inmate numbers not supported by a register, so the per-inmate calculation cannot be verified.
• Sectarian admission policy, which disqualifies the organisation outright.
• 10 per cent own contribution not demonstrated, since the grant is conditional on the NGO bearing that share.

Where do I complain if the grant is delayed?

• Director, Directorate of Social Welfare, Saradhambal Nagar, Ellaipillaichavadhy, Puducherry: +91-413-2205871, email socwel[at]py[dot]gov[dot]in.
• Karaikal: the Collector, Karaikal.
• Mahe and Yanam: the Regional Administrator.
• CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in for a written grievance.

The Directorate also runs a Social Audit process and publishes NGO directories and grant lists on its website, which gives an organisation a public record to point to when following up on a delayed release.