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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 996
TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2026
Status of Women and Child Welfare Programmes
996. Thiru Arun Nehru:
Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether child malnutrition and anaemia have been assessed in Perambalur
Parliamentary Constituency in Tamil Nadu, if so, the details thereof;
(b) the details of the measures being taken to strengthen women's safety and One Stop
Centres in the said Constituency;
(c) the details of the steps taken to improve cyber safety awareness among women and
girls;
(d) the details of the initiatives to promote women's employment and self-help groups;
and
(e) the details of the steps taken to create women and child-friendly public infrastructure
in the said Constituency?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)
(a) Perambalur Parliamentary Constituency in Tamil Nadu is spread across the districts
of Perambalur, Karur & Tiruchirappalli. The status of stunting, wasting, underweight and
overweight among children in these districts as per Poshan Tracker App is as follows (as
on 30.06.2026):
District Children Measured S tunting W asting Underweight OverweightPerambalur 30,437 11% 4% 7% 1%
Karur 50,845 12% 3% 5% 1%
Tiruchirappalli 1,38,532 8% 2% 5% 0%
As per National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-21), anaemia prevalence among children
6 to 59 months, adolescent girls, women of reproductive age and pregnant women in the
state of Tamil Nadu is as follows:
Sr. Indicator Prevalence of
No. Anemia
1. Children age 6-59 months who are anaemic (<11.0 g/dl) (%) 57.4
2. All women age 15-19 years who are anaemic (%) 52.9
3. Non-pregnant women age 15-49 years who are anaemic 53.6
(<12.0 g/dl) (%)
4. Pregnant women age 15-49 years who are anaemic (<11.0 48.3
g/dl) (%)
(b) to (e) The ‘Mission Shakti’ aims at strengthening interventions for women 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.
• One Stop Centre- One Stop Centre (OSC) provides integrated and immediate
support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence and those
in distress, both in private and public spaces all across the country. It provides
services like medical aid, legal aid and advice, temporary shelter, police assistance
and psycho-social counselling to needy women. rural and economically weaker
regions of the country. Till 30th June, 2026, 985 OSCs are operational in the
country which have assisted over 15.80 lakh women in the country. As on date, 59
OSCs are operational in Tamil Nadu. Out of which, one OSC in Karur, one OSC in
Perambalur, and two OSCs in Tiruchirappalli are operational which have assisted
over 1.82 lakh women.The scheme is Centrally Sponsored Scheme, and the Central Government
provides 100% financial assistance to States and UTs. The overall implementation
of scheme lies with the State Governments and UT Administrations.
Further, once in a year, the Programme Approval Board (PAB) monitors with
States and UTs, the progress of activities under the scheme and reviews status of
achievement of objectives and effective delivery of services to women and
children. Apart from this, officials of the Ministry continuously review the scheme
through meetings, video conferencing and by making field visits to States and UTs
from time to time.
• Women Helpline (WHL)- Women Helpline (WHL-181) provides 24-hour toll-free
telecommunication services to support women in both emergency and non-
emergency situations. It offers assistance to women affected by violence and
provides information about government schemes and services all across the
country.
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme
was launched on 22nd January 2015 to help address Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and
related issues of empowerment of girls and women over a life cycle continuum.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme has transformed from policy initiative
into national movement by mobilizing various stakeholders, including government
agencies, media civil society and general public.
• Nari Adalat- Nari Adalat scheme provides a platform for alternative grievance
redressal for women at the gram panchayat level. The Adalats are mandated to
help women in distress at the panchayat level in resolving smaller issues relating
to domestic violence, and other gender-based violence by negotiation, mediation,
and reconciliation with mutual consent for accessible justice.
Government has taken the following steps to reduce exposure of women and girls to
cyber threats:
i. Information Technology Act, 2000 (‘IT Act’) and the Information Technology
(Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (‘IT Rules’).
ii. Clear objective of online safety of users, particularly children.
iii. Section 67B of the IT Act penalises electronic material depicting children in a
sexually explicit, obscene, or indecent manner - Cognisable offence. Includes
inducing them into online sexual relationships, facilitating abuse, or recording such
acts.
iv. Punishable with imprisonment of up to 5 years & up to ₹10 lakh fine on first
conviction, and up to 7 years imprisonment with the same fine on subsequent
convictions.v. Section 77A of the IT Act: For offences made compoundable under the Act (other
than offences for which the punishment for life or imprisonment for a term
exceeding three years has been provided), the court shall not compound the
offence if it has been committed against a child below the age of 18 years.
vii. Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”)
● Establishes the legal framework to regulate the processing of digital personal
data.
● Allows Data Fiduciaries to process the personal data of children only with
parental consent
● Does not permit processing of personal data which is detrimental to well-being
of children or involves tracking, behavioural monitoring or targeted advertising
viii. Information Security Education & Awareness (“ISEA”) Programme
● To generate awareness among users while using internet
● Dedicated website has been created for information security awareness that
generates and upgrades relevant awareness material on a regular basis
● It can be accessed at https://staysafeonline.in/
ix. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
● Regularly shares safety and security tips and awareness posters, info-graphics
and videos on its official websites and social media handles
● Aimed at sensitizing internet users on cyber security attacks and frauds including
online safety measures for children.
x. The Protection of Children Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 was enacted to
safeguard children from sexual offences and prevent such crimes against children. It
provides punishment as per the gravity of offence.xi. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a statutory body
under Ministry of Women and Child Development has prepared following guidelines on
Cyber Safety and Protection of children:
● Guideline and standard content for raising awareness among children, parents,
educators and general public titled “Being Safe Online” is available at
https://ncpcr.gov.in/public/uploads/16613370496305fdd946c31_being-safe-
online.pdf
● Guidelines on Cyber Safety (for inclusion in) Manual on Safety and Security of
Children in Schools which is available at:
https://ncpcr.gov.in/uploads/16613369326305fd6444e1b_cyber-safety-
guidline.pdf
● Guidelines for Schools for prevention of bullying and cyber bullying” which is
available at https://ncpcr.gov.in/uploads/1714382687662f675fe278a_preventing-
bullying-andcyberbullying-guidelines-for-schools-2024.pdf
● NCPCR has a dedicated/ transparent Online Complaint System
https://ncpcr.gov.in/ebaalnidan/, to ensure timely/speedy redressal of complaints
of various violations and deprivation of child rights
xii. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has set up the ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination
Centre’ (I4C) as an attached office to deal with all types of cybercrime in the country, in a
coordinated and comprehensive manner.
xiii. ‘National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal’ (https://cybercrime.gov.in) has been
launched, as a part of the I4C, to enable public to report incidents pertaining to all types
of cyber-crimes, with special focus on cyber-crimes against women and children. Cyber-
crime incidents reported on this portal, their conversion into FIRs and subsequent action
thereon are handled by the LEAs of State/UT concerned, as per the provision of law.
The “Samarthya” sub scheme of Mission Shakti 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).
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)- The PMMVY is a Centrally
Sponsored Maternity Benefit Scheme under which cash incentives of ₹5,000/- is
provided directly to the Bank/Post Office account of the beneficiary in Direct BenefitTransfer (DBT) mode for first child. The eligible beneficiaries receive the remaining
cash incentive, as per approved norms towards maternity benefit under Janani
Suraksha Yojana after institutional delivery, so that on an average a woman gets
₹6,000/-. Cash incentive of ₹6,000/- is also provided under PMMVY to eligible
beneficiaries for second child subject to the second child being a girl.
• Sakhi Niwas Scheme: Sakhi Niwas Scheme (Working Women Hostel) under the
overarching Mission Shakti, is a demand driven Centrally Sponsored Scheme,
under which funds are released directly to the States/UTs for implementation of
the scheme. The States/UTs assess their requirement as per local needs and
proposals are approved by the Programme Approval Board (PAB) after discussion
with States/UTs. The scheme aims to promote availability of safe and conveniently
located accommodation for working women in urban, semi-urban and also in rural
areas where employment opportunity for women exists.
Under the Scheme, financial assistance is provided for running of Sakhi Niwas in
rented premises for working women and for those women who are under training
for job. Provision of Day Care Centre for children of the residents of the Sakhi
Niwas is an important aspect of the scheme. In this scheme, fund is provided for
rental accommodation. Component of construction has been discontinued.
Presently, 575 Sakhi Niwas are functional across the country including 01 Sakhi
Niwas in Perambalur district and 09 Sakhi Niwas in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil
Nadu.
• Shakti Sadan Scheme: Under the overarching ‘Mission Shakti’, erstwhile
schemes of ‘Swadhar Greh’ – Home for women in difficult circumstances and
‘Ujjawala’- Home for women rescued from Trafficking, have been merged and are
now known as ‘Shakti Sadan Scheme’, which is an Integrated Relief and
Rehabilitation Home for women in distressful situations including trafficked
women. It aims at creating a safe and enabling environment for the women in such
difficult situations, to enable them to overcome the adverse circumstances.
The Shakti Sadan Scheme is a demand driven Centrally Sponsored Scheme,
under which funds are directly released to the States/UTs for implementation of
the scheme. The States/UTs assess their requirement as per local needs and
proposals are approved by the Programme Approval Board (PAB) after discussion
with States/UTs. Under the Scheme, financial assistance is provided for running
of Shakti Sadan in rented premises.Presently, 433 Shakti Sadans are functional across the country including 01 Shakti
Sadan functional in Perambalur district of Tamil Nadu.
• Palna Scheme: The Ministry introduced Anganwadi cum Creches (AWCCs) under
Palna Scheme w.e.f. 01 April 2022, for providing day care creche facilities in safe
and secure environment to children (aged 06 months – 06 years) of all mothers
irrespective of their employment status along with nutritional support, health and
cognitive development of children, growth monitoring, immunization, education
etc. Palna component under Samarthya vertical of Mission Shakti is a centrally
sponsored scheme and is implemented with a funding ratio of 60:40 between
Centre and State Governments and UTs with legislature except North East &
Special Category States where ratio is 90:10. For UTs without legislature, 100%
funding will be provided by the Central Government.
Palna is a demand driven scheme under which funds are released to the
States/UTs for implementation of the scheme. The States/UTs assess their
requirement and proposals are approved by the Programme Approval Board (PAB)
after discussion with States/UTs.
The Ministry continuously monitors implementation through periodic review
meetings, video conferences, and field visits by Ministry officials to assess
implementation and ensure effective delivery of services. In Tamil Nadu, 600
AWCCs are approved as on 31.03.2026.
• SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW) - The SANKALP: HEW
(Hub for Empowerment of Women) which 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.
Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NRLM are to mobilize rural women into collectives
to encourage savings and take up multiple livelihoods opportunities to increase household
income and thereby reduce rural poverty.
To enhance the efficiency of SHGs, The Ministry of Rural Development under DAY-
NRLM, is conducting awareness activities on nutrition, health and sanitation amongst
SHG households through group meetings, community-based events, and mobilization to
public health, nutrition and sanitation services with an aim to reduce out-of-pocket
expenditure on health and improve quality of life. The training material issued by the line
Ministries have been adapted in SHG context and are being used for discussions in thegroup meetings. SHG network is also supporting various national nutrition, health and
sanitation campaigns. The IEC material shared by the host Ministry is circulated to the
SHGs.
To strengthen nutrition service delivery and promote Early Childhood Care and Education
(ECCE), Saksham Anganwadis equipped with child friendly infrastructure compared to
conventional AWCs, including facilities such as LED screens, water purifiers/RO
machines, Poshan Vatikas, ECCE kits, and BALA (Building as Learning Aid) paintings
have been established. 143 AWCs in the Perambalur district have been approved for
upgradation of Saksham Anganwadi. Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)
Act, 2015 (JJ Act, 2015) is the primary legislation for ensuring safety, security, dignity and
well-being of children and is implemented by all the States and UTs including the State
of Tamil Nadu. The Act creates statutory structures at the State and District levels which
include State Child Protection Society, Child Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice
Boards (JJBs), District Child Protection Units. It also provides for establishment of Child
Care Institutions (CCIs). There are 317 funded Child Care Institutions (CCIs) in the State
of Tamil Nadu.
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