Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts awareness drive launched in Nagaland

Morung Express News  Kohima | July 15 With the theme ‘Secure our girl child’s future’, the Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts (SSA) awareness drive was launched on July 15 by Minister for Social Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs. The SSA is a programme under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign which was launched on January 22, 2015. The SSA was launched with an aim for means of saving to provide higher education of the girl child, and for her wedding expenses. The scheme offers interest rate of 8.6 per cent per annum where investments made under the scheme are exempted from income tax. The SSA is designed by the Government of India for the girl child upto the age of 10 years. “Girls’ education is the key to empowering their future. We should take advantage of this scheme to ensure that we empower as many girls as we can with education. We would need to strengthen convergence and collaborative effort to help this important scheme become widely spread in Nagaland,” said Minister for Social Security & Welfare & Parliamentary Affairs, Kiyaneilie Peseyie during the launch. He further urged the Department of Rural Development to spread this information through their various village councils, the Department of Education through various schools, and the Health and Family Welfare Department through ASHA workers. “It is my ardent wish that our people come forward and take active part in this scheme which will only benefit them. Let us make Target 2000 to secure the future of our girl children a reality,” appealed the Minister. Bano Vinito, Chairperson, Nagaland State Social Welfare Board (NSSWB) acknowledged that the program is a noteworthy convergence model that envisions securing the future of the girl child by having an insurance policy. “We have been emphasizing on the importance of girl child education in various platforms. But it is a futile exercise to talk only about its significance without providing her the social, institutional and financial support and most importantly ensuring the quality education. Let us commit ourselves to this cause. Our efforts today will go a long way in shaping and securing the future of our girl child-our future generation,” affirmed Vinito. He also expressed hoped that the coordinated and convergence efforts must be strengthened among the line departments, civil societies, NGOs to ensure the protection and empowerment of the girl child. Chairperson, Nagaland State Social Welfare Board, Bano Vinito gave a note on collaboration and convergence. She said that Nagaland is not lagging behind with the national flagship wide campaign under the slogan message to save and educate the girl child. While congratulating the organisers, Bano said that it was encouraging to see that the participants of key departments and organisations who are in a position to be able to forward the campaign to different districts especially to rural sector through their grass root functionaries. She called upon their pro-active participation where she also said that the day’s event would be most crucial in ensuring the success of the awareness drive. Calling upon the coordinated and convergence efforts among the line departments, civil societies, NGOs for ensuring the protection and empowerment of the girl child, Bano said, “Let us commit ourselves to this cause. Our effort today will go a long way in shaping and securing the future of our children/girl child who are our future generation.” Understanding the need to reach out to the girl children in Nagaland in order to ensure a secure future; the Awareness Drive is an initiative of the State Resource Centre for Women (SRCW) in collaboration with the Department of Posts and was held at the Chief Secretary’s Conference Hall. Peren scores lowest with 18 accounts; Dimapur highest with 961 accounts Believing that the scheme has strong fabric to ensure social and financial security for girls, RM Patel, Director, Department of Posts, India, Nagaland highlighted that the method of depositing money is designed keeping in mind the affordability of people of all sections of society. Further the rate of interest and maturity period matches with financial need of girls for higher education and development of career on attaining maturity. Patel informed that the Postal Network in Nagaland has one head office in Kohima, 41 sub offices and 300 branch offices, which are all point of sale for SSA. After the launch, the Nagaland has so far 3866 accounts with the highest number of accounts opened in Dimapur that is 961 while the lowest is in Peren district with only 18 accounts. “This coverage is not encouraging in comparison to the total eligible girls’ population,” lamented Patel adding that the Department of Posts is making all efforts for promoting the scheme but further appreciated that support of the State Government Ministry to widen the footprints to reach out throughout the state. At present, Kohima has 861 SSA, Mokokchung 808 SSA, Tuensang 253 SSA, Wokha 63 SSA, Mon 301 SSA, Phek 306 SSA, Zunheboto 157 SSA, Kiphire 98 SSA, Longleng 40 SSA, and Peren 18 SSA. The target for the current Awareness Drive is aimed at 2000. How to open Sukanya Samriddhi Account 
The SSA can be availed at any post office across all the states in India. The Account can be opened by the parents or legal guardian of the girl child with an initial deposit of Rs. 1000. The documents required are SSA opening from, birth certificate of the girl child, identity proof of depositor (parent or legal guardian), PAN card, ration card, driving license, passport, address proof of depositor (parent or legal guardian). The completion of the account is 14 years and the maturity period of the account is 21 years from the date of opening the account. Even after the account completes 14 years of tenure, the interest gets accumulated until the child turns 21 years of age. There are no fixed number of deposits in single year apart from the minimum yearly amount required Rs.100 and the maximum amount limit of Rs. 1.5 lakhs. Applications forms are available at any of the Post offices in the districts.