**Executive Summary**
This document, posted on February 13, 2026, by PIB Delhi, outlines various schemes implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) for the welfare of women and children across India. These schemes have been grouped into three Umbrella Missions, aiming to improve nutrition & health indicators, ensure safety & empowerment of women, and promote the protection & care of children. NITI Aayog conducted a third-party evaluation of the schemes from Financial Years 2019 to 2024 and found them relevant.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Umbrella Missions Overview:**
* The MWCD has consolidated schemes for women and children's welfare into three missions.
* **Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0:**
* Objective: Improve nutrition and health indicators.
* Three Sub-Verticals:
* Nutrition Support for Children, Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers, and Adolescent Girls.
* Early Childhood Care and Education.
* Anganwadi Infrastructure, including upgraded Saksham Anganwadis.
* **Mission Shakti:**
* Focus: Safety, protection, and empowerment of women.
* Two Verticals: Sambal and Samarthya.
* **Sambal Vertical:**
* Includes:
* One Stop Centres (OSC) to support women affected by violence.
* Women Helplines (181-WHL), a 24/7 toll-free response system.
* Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) to address declining Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) and empower girls.
* Nari Adalat, a pilot initiative for women's empowerment through justice and dispute resolution.
* **Samarthya Vertical:**
* Includes:
* Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), a maternity benefit scheme with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
* Shakti Sadan, relief and rehabilitation home for women in distress.
* Sakhi Niwas, safe accommodation for working women.
* National Hub for Empowerment of Women (NHEW) for intersectoral convergence.
* Palna, providing quality crèche facilities to increase women's workforce participation.
* **Mission Vatsalya:**
* Includes the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS).
* Objectives: Better outreach & protection for children in need, support children in difficult circumstances, develop context-based solutions, encourage innovation, and cement convergent action.
* **Scheme Evaluation and Review:**
* NITI Aayog conducted a third-party evaluation for FY 2019-2024, finding the schemes relevant.
* Scheme implementation and fund utilization are regularly reviewed.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Women**
* **Impact:** Improved safety, protection, empowerment, access to justice, maternity benefits, safe accommodation, and increased workforce participation.
* **Action Required:** Utilize available resources like One Stop Centres, women helplines, maternity benefit schemes, and accommodation facilities.
**Stakeholder: Children**
* **Impact:** Improved nutrition, early childhood care, protection in difficult circumstances, and holistic development.
* **Action Required:** Access Anganwadi services and programs under Mission Vatsalya.
**Stakeholder: Government (MWCD)**
* **Impact:** Streamlined approach to women and children's welfare through Umbrella Missions, evaluated and relevant schemes.
* **Action Required:** Continue regular reviews of scheme implementation and fund utilization.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD): Primary ministry responsible for the schemes discussed.
Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0: Umbrella mission focused on improving nutrition and health indicators.
Mission Shakti: Umbrella mission focused on safety, protection, and empowerment of women.
Mission Vatsalya: Umbrella mission focused on the protection, care, and welfare of children in difficult circumstances.
NITI Aayog: Conducted a third-party evaluation of the schemes of the Ministry of Women and Child Development for Financial Years 2019 to 2024.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Various schemes implemented by the Ministry of
Women and Child Development (MWCD) for
welfare of women and children
Posted On: 13 FEB 2026 2:59PM by PIB Delhi
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.
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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