Parliament Question: Women and Child Welfare Schemes

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *113 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2026 WOMEN AND CHILD WELFARE SCHEMES *113. SHRI CHARANJIT SINGH CHANNI: Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has reviewed women and child welfare schemes, including nutrition, education and safety in Punjab; (b) if so, the number of beneficiaries thereunder along with the funds released therefor during the last three years; (c) whether any special interventions have been launched to address malnutrition, domestic violence and skill development among women and children; and (d) if so, the details of outcomes achieved along with the districts covered thereunder? ANSWER MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI ANNPURNA DEVI) (a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. *****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.113 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2026 BY SHRI CHARANJIT SINGH CHANNI REGARDING WOMEN AND CHILD WELFARE SCHEMES (a) & (b): Various schemes implemented for welfare of women and children all over the country, including schemes for nutrition, education and safety in Punjab, have been reviewed and clubbed into three Umbrella Missions by the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), 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 schemes 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; Ujjwala and Swadhar Greh (renamed as Shakti Sadan) - an Integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Home for women in distress situations including trafficked women; Working Women Hostel (renamed as 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 National Creche Scheme (renamed as 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. The details of number of beneficiaries under the aforesaid schemes of the Ministry in Punjab are at Annexure-I. The details of funds released under the aforesaid schemes of the Ministry to State of Punjab during the last three years are at Annexure-II. (c) & (d): The special interventions launched to address malnutrition, domestic violence and skill development among women and children are as under: • Under the 15th Finance Commission, various components like Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan and Scheme for Adolescent girls (of 14-18 years in Aspirational Districts and North-Eastern region) have been subsumed under the umbrella Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) to address the challenge of malnutrition. It is a Centrally Sponsored mission, where the responsibility for implementation of various activities lies with the States and UTs. This mission is a universal self-selecting umbrella scheme where there are no entry barriers for any beneficiary to register and receive services. This mission is implemented across the country including in the State of Punjab. The objectives of Mission are as follows: • To contribute to development of human capital in the country; • Address challenge of malnutrition; • Promote nutrition awareness and good eating habits for sustainable health and wellbeing As malnutrition requires a multi-sectoral approach involving dimensions of food, health, water, sanitation and education, it is crucial to effectively address the issue of malnutrition in a convergent manner. Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 has addressed this by establishing cross cutting convergence amongst 18 Ministries/Departments • Under Mission Poshan 2.0 a new strategy has been made for reduction in malnutrition and for improved health, wellness and immunity through activities like community engagement, outreach, behavioural change and advocacy. It focuses on Maternal Nutrition, Infant and Young Child Feeding Norms, treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)/ Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and wellness throughAYUSH practices to reduce prevalence of wasting, stunting, anaemia and being underweight. • Under this Mission, Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Children (6 months to 6 years), Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Adolescent Girls to beat the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition by adopting a life cycle approach. Supplementary nutrition is provided in accordance with the nutrition norms contained in Schedule-II of the National Food Security Act, 2013. These norms have been revised in January 2023. The old norms were largely calorie-specific; however, the revised norms are more comprehensive and balanced in terms of both quantity and quality of supplementary nutrition based on the principles of diet diversity that provides for quality protein, healthy fats and micronutrients (Calcium, Zinc, Iron, Dietary Folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin-B6 and Vitamin B-12). Extra Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Severely Acutely Malnourished (SAM) children as per National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA). • Further, Fortified rice is being supplied to AWCs to meet the requirement of micro- nutrients and to control anaemia among women and children. Greater emphasis is being laid on the use of millets at least once a week for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal and Take-Home ration at Anganwadi Centers. • Ministry vide notification dated 12th September 2022 issued Integrated Nutrition Support Programme- Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan (2.0), Rules 2022 to regulate the entitlements specified under the provisions of National Food Security Act, 2013 for every pregnant woman and lactating mother, till six months after childbirth and every child in the age group of six months to six years. • Further, Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare have jointly released the protocol for Community Management of Malnutrition (CMAM) to prevent and treat severely acute malnutrition in children and for reducing associated morbidity and mortality. The community-based approach involves timely detection and screening of children with severe acute malnutrition in the community, management for those without medical complications with wholesome, local nutritious foods at home and supportive medical care. The CMAM protocol includes an appetite test and screening process for children aged 6 months to 6 years who are severely acute malnourished (SAM) or severely underweight (SUW). Post-screening, such children are referred to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers (NRC) or hospital facilities for further care. • To encourage diet-diversity and consumption of wholesome local produce, Poshan Vatikas have been developed at AWCs. Poshan Vatikas helps to meet the important dietary diversity gap that has been repeatedly revealed in different surveys by providing different fruits, nuts, herbs, medicinal plants and vegetables round the year. Under this Mission, one of the major activities undertaken is Community Mobilization and Awareness Advocacy to educate people on nutritional aspects as adoption of good nutrition habit requires sustained efforts for behavioural change. State and UTs are conducting and reporting regular sensitisation activities under Jan Andolans during Poshan Maahs and Poshan Pakhwadas celebrated in the months of September and March-April respectively. CommunityBased Events (CBEs) have served as a significant strategy in changing nutritional practices and all Anganwadi workers are required to conduct two Community Based Events every month. Ministry of Women and Child Development’s (MWCD) Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 provides nutritional and non-nutritional support to Adolescent Girls (AGs) in the age group of 14-18 years in 218 districts (Aspirational and Northeastern) across 27 State/UTs. As part of this, MWCD in convergence with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has initiated a Special Pilot, NAVYA (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls), 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 11 October, 2022 for bringing greater convergence in Skill Development Initiatives targeted at Young Girls especially in non- traditional skills. ****Annexure-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN PARTS (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.113 FOR 06.02.2026 BY SHRI CHARANJIT SINGH CHANNI REGARDING ‘WOMEN AND CHILD WELFARE SCHEMES’ DETAILS OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES UNDER THE SCHEMES OF THE MINISTRY IN PUNJAB Mission Scheme Category Number of Beneficiaries Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan Pregnant Women 70173 2.0 (as on 31.12.2025) Lactating Mothers 97,675 Children (0-6 years) 12,97,723 Adolescent Girls 30,375 Mission Vatsalya (FY 2024-25) Beneficiaries in 506 Institutional Care Beneficiaries in Non-2483 Institutional Care Mission One Stop Centre Women assisted 25489 (as on 30.09.2025) Shakti Women Helpline Women assisted 3,58,291(as on 31.12.2025) Pradhan Mantri Matru Beneficiaries paid 4.28 Lakhs (FY 2022-23 Vandana Yojana to 2024-25) Shakti Sadan Beneficiaries in Shakti 30 (FY 2024-25) Sadan Palna Beneficiaries in Creches 1429 (as on 30.01.2026Annexure-II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN PARTS (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.113 FOR 06.02.2026 BY SHRI CHARANJIT SINGH CHANNI REGARDING ‘WOMEN AND CHILD WELFARE SCHEMES’ DETAILS OF FUNDS RELEASED TO STATE GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB UNDER THE SCHEMES OF THE MINISTRY DURING THE LAST THREE YEARS (Rs. in crores) Sl. Financial Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Mission Mission No. Year Poshan 2.0 Vatsalya Shakti 1. 2022-23 75.31 10.69 20.71 2. 2023-24 307.87 15.44 42.89 3. 2024-25 265.48 14.76 38.05 *****