**Executive Summary**
This report outlines the Ministry of Women and Child Development's implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes, specifically Mission Shakti, Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, and Mission Vatsalya. Presented to the Lok Sabha on 23 March 2026, these initiatives aim to strengthen women's safety, improve nutritional indicators, and protect children in difficult circumstances. The document highlights the integration of health, education, and social empowerment services through a coordinated national framework.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Mission Shakti: Safety and Empowerment**
* **Sambal Sub-scheme:** Focuses on the safety and security of women through One Stop Centres (OSCs), Women Helplines (WHL), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), and Nari Adalats.
* **Samarthya Sub-scheme:** Aimed at empowerment, incorporating Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Palna, and SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW).
* **SANKALP (HEW):** Functions as a Project Monitoring Unit and a "single window system" at national, state, and district levels to bridge information gaps and guide women toward benefits and entitlements.
**Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0**
* **Target Demographics:** Supports children under 6 years, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls (aged 14–18).
* **Service Package:** Provides six essential services: Supplementary Nutrition (SNP), Pre-school Non-Formal Education, Nutrition & Health Education, Immunization, Health Check-ups, and Referral Services.
* **ECCE Delivery:** Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is delivered via Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) for children aged 3–6 and through structured home visits for those aged 0–3.
**Mission Vatsalya and Educational Support**
* **Mission Vatsalya:** Delivers outreach and protection for children in need of care and protection (CNCP) and children in conflict with the law (CCL) through institutional and non-institutional care.
* **Samagra Shiksha:** An integrated scheme for school education (pre-primary to Class XII) that provides financial assistance for school infrastructure, free uniforms, and textbooks.
* **Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs):** Residential schools established in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) to reduce the gender gap and provide quality education to girls from socio-economically disadvantaged groups.
**Impact Analysis**
**Women (including Pregnant and Lactating Mothers)**
**Impact**
Women benefit from improved safety networks, financial support through PMMVY, and access to dedicated residential facilities (Sakhi Niwas/Shakti Sadan).
**Action Required**
Utilize SANKALP (HEW) hubs at the district or state level to access information on entitlements and visit local centers to avail of nutritional and safety services.
**Children and Adolescent Girls**
**Impact**
Eligible beneficiaries receive nutritional support, immunization, and holistic education. Children in difficult circumstances receive specialized protection and care under Mission Vatsalya.
**Action Required**
Parents/guardians must enroll children aged 3–6 in Anganwadi Centres for pre-school education and ensure participation in health check-ups and immunization programs.
**State and Union Territory (UT) Governments**
**Impact**
States and UTs serve as the primary implementation agencies for these centrally sponsored, demand-driven schemes, receiving financial assistance for infrastructure and service delivery.
**Action Required**
State authorities must implement the various components of Mission Shakti and Samagra Shiksha, including the construction of school buildings, hostels (such as KGBVs), and the upgrading of Anganwadi infrastructure.
Key Entities Referenced
Mission Shakti: A primary initiative for women’s safety, security, and empowerment, comprising the sub-schemes ‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’.
Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0: An integrated nutrition support program for children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers, incorporating Anganwadi services and the Poshan Abhiyaan.
Mission Vatsalya: A centrally sponsored scheme focused on the protection and welfare of children in difficult circumstances, including those in conflict with the law.
Samagra Shiksha: An integrated scheme for school education covering pre-primary to class XII, aimed at ensuring inclusive and equitable access to quality education.
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: The foundational policy document used to align and implement integrated school education schemes and educational standards.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
‘Mission Shakti’ aims at strengthening
interventions for women’s safety, security and
empowerment
Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, a
package of six services provided to eligible beneficiaries
Mission Vatsalya implemented to deliver services for better
outreach and protection for Children in Need of Care and
Protection and Children in Conflict with Law
Posted On: 23 MAR 2026 2:22PM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the
country for the welfare of women and children, which are placed under three verticals, viz. (1) Mission
Shakti, for safety, protection and empowerment of women; (2) Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 for
improving nutrition & health indicators in the country; and (3) Mission Vatsalya, for protection and
welfare of children in difficult circumstances.
(1) Mission Shakti: The ‘Mission Shakti’ aims at strengthening interventions for women’s safety, security
and empowerment. It seeks to focus on proposing strategies for improving convergence across Ministries/
Departments and at different levels of governance. Mission Shakti comprises of two sub-schemes
‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’ for safety and security of women and empowerment of women respectively.
The “Sambal” sub-scheme is for safety and security of women. It has the components of One Stop
Centres (OSCs), Women Helpline (WHL), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) and Nari Adalat.
The “Samarthya” sub scheme is for empowerment of women. It has the components of Pradhan Mantri
Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Palna and SANKALP: Hub for
Empowerment of Women (HEW). It is a demand driven Centrally Sponsored sub scheme, under which
funds are released to the States/UTs for implementation of various components.
Further, SANKALP: HEW (Hub for Empowerment of Women) functions as a Project Monitoring Unit
(PMU) for all components of Mission Shakti. It serves as a single window system to bridge the
information and knowledge gap regarding schemes and facilities available for women as well as guide
them to avail the benefits and entitlements.
Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW) known as SANKALP: HEW (Supportive Action for Nurturing
and Knowledge-Based Advancement, Last-Mile Delivery and Potential Realization of Women : Hub for
Empowerment of Women), set up at National, State and District levels for empowerment of women with
aims to facilitate inter-sectoral convergence of schemes and programs meant for women at Central, State/
UT and district levels with the mandate to create an environment in which women realize their fullpotential to address gaps in state action for women and for promoting inter-ministerial and inter-sectoral
convergence through strengthening the processes that promote holistic empowerment of women by
creating an environment conducive to social change by improving access and utilization of government
schemes.
(2) Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0): In the 15th Finance Commission,
components of nutritional support for children below the age of 6 years, pregnant women and lactating
mothers, Adolescent Girls (14 – 18 years); Early Childhood Care and Education [3-6 years]; Anganwadi
infrastructure including modern, upgraded Saksham Anganwadi, Poshan Abhiyaan and Scheme for
Adolescent Girls have been reorganised under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission
Poshan 2.0).
Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, a package of six services are provided to the eligible
beneficiaries i.e Supplementary Nutrition (SNP), Pre-school Non-Formal Education, Nutrition & Health
Education, Immunization, Health Check-up, and Referral Services. Three of the six services, viz.,
Immunization, Health check-up and Referral Services are related to health and are provided through
National Health Mission (NHM) & Public Health Infrastructure. Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan
2.0 is a Centrally Sponsored scheme.
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is one of the six services provided through Anganwadi
Centres (AWCs) located across the country under Anganwadi Services. ECCE component covers children
aged 3–6 years who receive pre-school education at AWCs, while children aged 0–3 years are reached
through structured home visits
(3) Mission Vatsalya: Mission Vatsalya (erstwhile Child Protection Services Scheme (ICPS)) is a
Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) which is implemented through States/Union Territories (UTs) to
deliver services for better outreach and protection for Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP)
and Children in Conflict with Law (CCL) which include Institutional Care and Non-Institutional Care in a
mission mode with the objective to: (i) Support and sustain Children in difficult circumstances (ii)
Develop context-based solutions for holistic development of children from varied backgrounds (iii)
Provide scope for green field projects for encouraging innovative solutions (iv) Cement convergent action
by gap funding, if required.
Further, the Department of School Education and Literacy is implementing an integrated centrally
sponsored scheme for School education- Samagra Shiksha. The scheme treats school education
holistically, without segmentation from pre-primary to class XII and aligned with the recommendations
of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 with aim to ensure that all children have access to quality
education with an equitable and inclusive classroom environment which should take care of their diverse
background, multilingual needs, different academic abilities and make them active participants in the
learning process. The scheme also provides support for the implementation of the RTE Act.
Under Samagra Shiksha, financial assistance is provided to States and UTs for undertaking various
activities for Universalization of School Education including opening/strengthening of new schools upto
senior secondary level, construction of school buildings & additional classrooms,
development/strengthening of school infrastructure in northern border areas under Vibrant Village
Programme, setting up, up-gradation and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, setting up of
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, construction of hostels for PVTGs under Pradhan
Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), construction of hostels under Dharti Aaba
Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA) for unsaturated ST population, free uniforms to eligible
children and free text books at elementary level, transport allowance and undertaking enrolment &
retention drives. Special training for age-appropriate admission of out of school children and residential
as well as non-residential training for older children, seasonal hostels / residential camps, special trainingcentres at worksites, transport/ escort facility are also supported to bring out of school children to the
formal schooling system including support to complete their education through NIOS/SIOS. Under the
student-oriented component for the children with special needs, financial assistance is provided for
identification and assessment of children with special needs, aids and appliances, braille kits and books,
appropriate teaching learning material and stipend to girl students with disability etc.
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) are residential schools for girls belonging to Socio-
Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) such as Schedule Tribe, Schedule Caste, Other Backward
Class, Economically Weaker Section of the society in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs). The
objective of the scheme is to ensure access to quality education for girls from SEDGs and reduce the
gender gap at the elementary to senior secondary level by setting up residential schools with boarding
facilities
This information was given by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development Smt. Savitri
Thakur in Lok Sabha in reply to a question today.
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