Parliament Question: Protection of Women and Children under Welfare Schemes

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2391 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026 PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN UNDER WELFARE SCHEMES

2391. SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

(a) whether gaps in implementation of women and child-centric welfare schemes are affecting vulnerable families in Kerala, particularly in border and coastal districts like Kasaragod, if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether nutritional support, childcare services and maternal health outreach remain inadequate in certain regions, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether performance of ICDS, POSHAN Abhiyaan and related schemes has been reviewed, district-wise, if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether any special interventions have been proposed for backward and high-risk districts, if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the details of the steps being taken/proposed to be taken to strengthen delivery, monitoring and inclusiveness of women and child welfare programmes? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (e): Various schemes implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development

(MWCD) for welfare of women and children all over the country, including schemes for nutrition support, childcare services and maternal health outreach in Kerala, have been clubbed into three Umbrella Missions viz. (1) Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 for improving nutrition & health indicators (2) Mission Shakti, for safety, protection and empowerment of women; and (3) Mission Vatsalya, for protection, care and welfare of children in difficult circumstances. Details of the Umbrella Missions are as under:(i) Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0): Under this mission, Anganwadi Services Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyaan and Scheme for Adolescent Girls have been reorganized into 3 primary sub-verticals: (i) Nutrition Support for Children, Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers and for Adolescent Girls (ii) Early Childhood Care and Education and

(iii) Anganwadi Infrastructure including upgraded Saksham Anganwadis.

(ii) Mission Shakti: It comprises of two verticals ‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’ for safety, security and empowerment of women, respectively.

I. Sambal - The following schemes have been included under the Sambal vertical: One Stop Centres (OSC) - for providing integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence and those in distress, both in private and public spaces in a convergent and coordinated manner under one roof; Women Helplines (181-WHL) is a 24 x 7 x 365 toll-free emergency/non-emergency response system that is integrated with ERSS (112) and other existing helplines/institutions; Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) - launched with an aim to address declining Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) and related issues of empowerment of girls and women over a life cycle continuum; Nari Adalat – a pilot initiative aimed at empowering women by ensuring justice and to offer services such as alternate dispute resolution, grievance redressal, counselling, evidence-based decision-making, pressure group tactics, negotiation, mediation, and reconciliation.

II. Samarthya - The following schemes have been included under ‘Samarthya’ vertical:

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) - a Centrally Sponsored Maternity Benefit Scheme under which cash incentives flow to the beneficiaries in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode for the first child and the second girl child; Shakti Sadan - an Integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Home for women in distress situations including trafficked women;

Sakhi Niwas - to promote availability of safe and conveniently located accommodation for working women in urban, semi-urban and also in rural areas where employment opportunities for women exist; National Hub for Empowerment of Women (NHEW) - to facilitate intersectoral convergence of schemes and programs meant for women at National level, State/ UT level and district level and Palna that aims to increase the participation of women in work force in the economy by providing quality crèche facility in safe and secure environment for children.

(iii) Mission Vatsalya: Mission Vatsalya includes the Integrated Child Protection Scheme

(ICPS) for better outreach and protection for children in need and 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 encouraging innovative solutions, (iv) Cement convergent action.NITI Aayog has got conducted a third-party evaluation of the schemes of the Ministry of Women and Child Development for Financial Years 2019 to 2024. The study found that the schemes of the Ministry are relevant.

The implementation of schemes including utilization of funds is reviewed on regular basis at various high levels through physical meetings, video conferences and field visits. *****