Ministry Of Women And Child Development

Over 12,000 men received benefits under Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin Yojana

The Women and Child Development Department, which administers the scheme, said that these men had been removed from the beneficiary list, along with 77,980 women who were also found ineligible

Over 40 mn women get maternity aid under PMMVY; drive till Aug 15: WCD

Over 4 crore women across India have received at least one installment of maternity benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), with total disbursements crossing Rs 19,028 crore, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said on Monday. The ministry, in a statement , called it a reflection of the government's "sustained commitment to maternal and child health" as it announced the extension of a special registration drive under the scheme till August 15. The ongoing door-to-door campaign, led by Anganwadi and ASHA workers, aims to ensure that all eligible pregnant and lactating women are enrolled on time. "The campaign is not only about ensuring access to financial benefits but also about encouraging positive attitudes towards the girl child," the ministry said in its statement. PMMVY, a centrally sponsored scheme under Mission Shakti's 'Samarthya' sub-scheme, provides partial wage compensation to mothers through direct benefit transfer (DBT). For the first chi

Govt plans national periodic survey to map children's welfare needs

MoSPI to collaborate with MoWCD for a periodic national child survey aimed at mapping the needs of children and creating a child index under the Mission Vatsalya scheme

Parl panel rpt recommends creation of Anganwadi worker welfare board

The standing committee has recommended that Anganwadis be transformed into 'Saksham Anganwadis', which would assist in addressing the challenges of malnutrition in children

Nearly 28,000 women, children victims of atrocities in 11 months: Minister

Nearly 28,000 women and children were victims of atrocities in Odisha in 11 months till January 31, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida informed the state assembly on Saturday. While replying to a query from BJD MLA Sanjib Kumar Mallick, Parida, who heads the Women and Child Development Department, said, "As per information collected from the Crime Against Women and Children Wing of the Home Department, 27,973 women and children became victims of atrocities in the state in 11 months from January 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025." As per data provided by Parida, the maximum number of 2,099 women and children were tortured in Jajpur district, followed by Ganjam police district (1,823), Mayurbhanj (1,573), Bhadrak (1,371), Balasore (1,305), and Keonjhar (1,329). Similarly, 1,110 women and children from Dhenkanal, 1,102 from Cuttack, 1,201 in Jagatsinghpur and 1,089 in Cuttack Urban police district were victims of atrocities during the period, she stated. Informing the House about steps ta

39 mn women provided maternity benefits in last 8 years, says WCD ministry

About 3.9 crore women received maternity benefits, with the government spending nearly Rs 18,000 crore, during the last eight years, the Union women and child development ministry said on Wednesday. Its reaction came after Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi said in the Rajya Sabha that the flagship Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana to provide maternity benefits to pregnant women was "severely underfunded", resulting in a drastic fall in entitlements for beneficiaries. The ministry said in a post on X that "between 2010 and 2014, around 16 lakh women received maternity benefits amounting to Rs 730 crore". Since the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana in 2017, "the government has given maternity benefit to 390 lakh women spending nearly Rs 18,000 crore", it added. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Gandhi said the number of beneficiaries under the scheme had drastically fallen and questioned the government on the ...

Anganwadi centres world's largest childcare institutions: MoS in LS

Minister said that to address these difficulties faced by the working mothers in giving due child care and protection to their children, day-care facilities are being provided through Palna scheme

WCD gets hiked allocation of Rs 26,889 crore in Union Budget 2025

The Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated Rs 26,889.69 crore to the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), an increase from the revised estimate of Rs 23,182.98 crore in 2024-25. Of the entire outlay, one of the biggest allocations is for Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0, which has received Rs 21,960 crore to combat malnutrition and strengthen early childhood care. The initiatives were allocated Rs 20,070.90 crore allocated in the revised estimates for 2024-25. The initiative, which also includes a Scheme for Adolescent Girls, has been restructured under three primary verticals nutrition support for children and adolescent girls, early childhood care and education, and Anganwadi infrastructure. Presenting her eighth consecutive budget, Sitharaman said Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 programmes provide nutritional support to over 8 crore children, one crore pregnant and lactating women, and 20 lakh adolescent girls in aspirational districts and the northeast region. "The cos

WCD ministry in 2025: Focus on grassroots empowerment, nutritional security

From addressing gaps in women's safety mechanisms to strengthening grassroots initiatives and nutritional security, the Women and Child Development ministry is set to focus on tackling systemic issues in the coming year. The year 2024 saw Annapurna Devi taking charge as the new Women and Child Development Minister and Savitri Thakur as her deputy. The operationalization of fast track special courts for handling cases of rape and crimes under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act will remain a critical focus in 2025. The ministry is expected to tighten its monitoring of state-level compliance and increase the utilization of central funds allocated for justice delivery, senior officials of the ministry said. With the Centre's scheme requiring fast track special courts to exclusively handle sensitive cases, 2025 is likely to see renewed efforts to operationalize additional courts and integrate them with support systems like one-stop centres, one of the officials

Punjab announces new policy for play schools, focus on health of children

The Department of WCD will compel all such schools to register in accordance with these rules, which will be put into effect over the course of the next six months

13.7 million activities reported across India in Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2024

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has reported 1.37 crore activities in 752 districts of 35 states and Union territories by the sixth day of Rashtriya Poshan Maah. Leading contributors to the campaign include Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, an official statement said. Launched on August 31 at Mahatma Mandir in Gujarat's Gandhinagar, the seventh edition of Poshan Maah focuses on critical themes such as anaemia prevention, growth monitoring, complementary feeding and the integration of education with nutrition through the "Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi" initiative. The campaign also promotes environmental sustainability with the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" initiative, with tree planting at over 13.95 lakh Anganwadi centres across the country. Among the reported activities, over 39 lakh focused on anaemia, 27 lakh on growth monitoring, 20 lakh on complementary feeding and 18.5 lakh on the "Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi" ...

WCD minister launches SHe-Box portal to ensure women's safety at workplace

Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi on Thursday launched a centralised platform designed to make workplaces safer for women by addressing and managing complaints of sexual harassment. The SHe-Box portal is a significant advancement in the government's ongoing efforts to safeguard women in the workplace, the ministry said in a statement. The launch event in Delhi also witnessed the introduction of a revamped ministry website. The ministry said the portal would function as a centralised repository for information related to internal committees and local committees across the country, covering both the government and private sectors. The portal will allow women to file complaints, track their status, and ensure that the grievances are processed in a timely manner. It also features a designated nodal officer to enable real-time monitoring of complaints, thereby providing a streamlined and assured redressal process, the statement said. Addressing the gathering, .

Bengal failed to implement schemes to deal with crimes against women: WCD

Amid uproar over the rape of a doctor in West Bengal, Union minister Annapurna Devi has said the situation of women in the state has been "deteriorating" and slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for failing to implement central government schemes such as fast track courts and emergency helplines to deal with crimes against women. It is ironic that it is the only state in the country that has a woman chief minister and still the situation of women in the state is deteriorating, Women and Child Development minister Devi told PTI. "There are states like West Bengal where we are trying to get the central government schemes implemented but it is not happening. There are central government schemes, such as fast track special courts and POCSO courts, that have been established to deal with crimes against women and children but the state (West Bengal) is lagging behind in it," Devi said. "We are sponsoring the scheme so you don't have to spend money but the state has to implement it. We .

WCD minister slams WB govt over delay in enacting women's safety measures

Lambasting the West Bengal government for its alleged failure to implement crucial safety measures for women and girls, Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi has said the state has not taken any step to start the remaining 11 fast track special courts in spite of a pendency of 48,600 rape and POCSO cases. In a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Devi criticized the West Bengal government for failing to implement key emergency helplines such as the Women Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and Child Helpline. Asserting these services are essential for providing immediate assistance to victims of violence, she said the state has yet not integrated them despite multiple reminders from the Central government. This lapse, Devi argued, deprives the women and children in West Bengal of critical support in times of distress. In a pointed rebuke, she highlighted the state's inability to operationalize the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) allocated t

WCD minister asks states to focus on nutrition, safety of women, children

Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi has urged the states and Union Territories to leverage the schemes of the ministry to focus on the nutrition and safety of women and children. Devi made the appeal on Saturday during a meeting with the ministers of women and child development and social welfare departments from various states as well as the administrators and lieutenant governors of Union Territories. To ensure their effective implementation, all major programmes of the ministry have been classified under three umbrella schemes -- Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, and Mission Shakti. During the meeting, Devi emphasised the importance of collective efforts and strategic planning to enhance the effectiveness of the three schemes. She said the focus should be on the three verticals and sought regular reports from the states on them. "Our objective is to ensure that the benefits of our efforts reach the grassroots level. It is essential to work in collaboration w

Over 6,000 kids, 232 pregnant women living in Manipur's refugee camps: Govt

As many as 6,164 children aged between six months and six years, 2,638 adolescent girls, 232 pregnant women and 753 lactating mothers are residing in refugee camps in Manipur and they are linked to nearby anganwadi centres, the government informed Parliament on Friday. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on facilities provided to the women and children residing in Manipur's refugee camps, Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi provided an update on the support being extended to displaced individuals at such camps in the northeastern state. According to Devi, 6,164 children aged between six months and six years, 2,638 adolescent girls, 232 pregnant women and 753 lactating mothers are residing in these camps. These individuals are linked to 271 nearby anganwadi centres. Under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, aimed at supporting pregnant and lactating women, 103 women expecting their first child have been enrolled, the minister said. Of them, 70 women

Govt reconstitutes NIPCCD's Executive Council, General Body after 5 decades

The Ministry of Women and Child Development said on Monday it has reconstituted the Executive Council and General Body of the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) after more than five decades. The reconstitution was approved during a meeting held here under the chairpersonship of WCD Minister Annpurna Devi. NIPCCD, an autonomous organization under the WCD Ministry, was initially established in 1966 under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. The reconstitution reduces the size of the General Body from 94 to 22 members and the Executive Council from 21 to 13 members, creating a leaner and more efficient structure. The General Body is responsible for formulating overall policies, while the Executive Council manages the administrative affairs of the institute. According to an official statement, Devi emphasized the need for NIPCCD to lead in training field functionaries of the ministry, conducting research and documentation on women and child

Porsche crash: Panel urges action against JJB members for bail 'lapses'

The panel probing the conduct of two Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) members in connection with the bail given to the minor accused in the Pune Porsche crash case has recommended disciplinary action against them for "procedural lapses", an official said on Wednesday. On May 19, two IT professionals were killed in Kalyani Nagar area here after their motorcycle was hit by a speeding Porsche car allegedly driven by the minor in an inebriated condition. The case caused a national uproar after JJB member L N Danwade granted bail to the accused on very lenient terms, including writing a 300-word essay on road safety. Later, a committee was formed by the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department of the Maharashtra government to probe the conduct of two JJB members in connection with the bail given to the minor accused. In its report, the panel talked about the "procedural lapses", "misconduct" and "non-compliance of norms" of the JJB members. As part of its probe, the committee appointed

51% of applications under PM Cares scheme for Covid orphans rejected

9,331 applications were received for scheme, according to data shared by the Women and Child Development Ministry

Meet Annapurna Devi, women and child development minister in Modi cabinet

Annapurna Devi, 55, succeeds BJP leader Smriti Irani, who was dropped from the new National Democratic Alliance government