Parliament Question: Holistic Development of Women and Adolescent Girls

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5655 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN AND ADOLESCENT GIRLS 5655. SHRI ZIA UR REHMAN: Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has conducted any assessment regarding dropout rates among adolescent girls and access to skill training programmes in western Uttar Pradesh; (b) if so, the details of steps taken to promote education continuity, nutrition support and livelihood opportunities for girls in the said region; (c) whether similar gender-related challenges exist in other parts of the country; and (d) if so, the details of national initiatives undertaken to ensure holistic development of women and adolescent girls in the country? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR) (a) to (d): In the 15th Finance Commission cycle, components of nutritional support for children below the age of 6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers and Adolescent Girls (14-18 years); Early Childhood Care and Education [3-6 years] and Anganwadi infrastructure including modern and upgraded Saksham Anganwadi have been reorganised under the umbrella Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) for effective implementation of the scheme. Under the Mission, 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. Supplementary Nutrition under the Scheme is served for a minimum of 300 days in a calendar year, i.e., on an average 25 days in a month in the form of Hot Cooked Meals (HCM) and Take Home Ration.Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) under Mission Poshan 2.0 aims to provide nutritional support to Adolescent Girls (AGs) [14-18 years] for improving their health and nutritional status in Aspirational Districts of all States and all districts of North Eastern States. There are two main components under the scheme. Under the nutrition component, supplementary nutrition containing 600 calories, 18-20 grams of protein and micronutrients is provided to adolescent girls in the age group of 14-18 years for 300 days in a year. The non-nutrition component is based on convergence with different ministries for IFA supplementation, health check-up and referral services, nutrition & health education, skilling etc. MWCD in convergence with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is implementing NAVYA (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls), a special pilot project for skilling of Adolescent Girls (AGs) in the age group of 16-18 years and passed secondary level of school education pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between MWCD with MSDE on 11th October, 2022 for bringing greater convergence in Skill Development Initiatives targeted at Young Girls especially in non- traditional skills. Under NAVYA, 27 districts across 19 States and UT including Fatehpur and Sonbhadra districts of State of Uttar Pradesh have been selected for Skilling of Adolescent Girls (AGs). As on 20th March, 2026, a total of 813 AGs have completed their training in various selected districts across the country. Regular monitoring of NAVYA project is undertaken through VCs and sustained engagements with States and UT concerned. *******