National Summit on Women and Child Development: Anganwadis, Nutrition and Women's Safety
A two-day National Departmental Summit on Women and Child Development ended at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi. The Prime Minister chaired its closing (valedictory) session.
Ministers and senior officials from all States and Union Territories discussed four themes: nutrition and early childhood care, child protection, women's safety and empowerment, and better delivery of services through convergence (different departments working together on the same goal).
The summit stressed Jan Bhagidari (people's participation). The suggestion was that an Anganwadi Centre should become a hub of community life, with nearby families sharing nutritious food, toys and local items on special occasions.
Universities could adopt nearby Anganwadi Centres and carry out social-impact studies. Medical students and NSS (National Service Scheme) and NCC (National Cadet Corps) volunteers could also work with these centres.
On women's safety, the focus was on prevention through joint action by many departments, and on age-appropriate lessons for children on women's safety, dignity and empowerment. More attention to the health and nutrition of adolescent girls was also called for.
States were encouraged to hold similar Chintan Shivirs (brainstorming camps) at district and city levels, including dedicated camps for Anganwadi Workers. Women and Child Development departments were asked to take ownership of the Swachhata (cleanliness) drive, since good nutrition begins with cleanliness.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Anganwadi System
The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is India's biggest programme for the care of young children and mothers. It works through small village and slum centres called Anganwadi Centres ("anganwadi" means "courtyard shelter" in Hindi). These centres give food, pre-school learning, health check-ups and advice to children below six years, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and adolescent girls. Today ICDS runs as part of a bigger scheme called Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.
The summit's main ideas, making anganwadis centres of community participation, linking them with universities, NSS and NCC, and focusing on adolescent girls and cleanliness, all aim to strengthen this ICDS network. Since Mission Poshan 2.0 is run jointly by the Centre and States, a national summit of State ministers is a key forum to improve how the scheme is delivered on the ground.
Mission Shakti: Scheme for Safety, Security and Empowerment of Women
Mission Shakti is the Government of India's umbrella scheme for the safety, security and empowerment of women. It is run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD). It brings many older women's schemes under one roof, split into two parts: Sambal (for safety and security) and Samarthya (for empowerment). It came into force on 1 April 2022.
Women's safety and empowerment was one of the four themes of the summit. The emphasis on prevention through convergence of many departments, and on teaching children about women's safety and dignity, matches the gaps that Mission Shakti's critics point out. The call to link women's collectives with Vocal for Local and One District One Product connects to the empowerment (Samarthya) side of the mission.
- Summit: two-day National Departmental Summit on Women and Child Development, Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi
- Themes: nutrition and early childhood care, child protection, women's safety and empowerment, convergence in service delivery
- ICDS launched 2 October 1975 in 33 blocks; about 13.96 lakh anganwadi centres (2025)
- Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 merges Anganwadi Services, POSHAN Abhiyaan and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls
- POSHAN Abhiyaan launched 8 March 2018 at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan
- Navchetana (0 to 3 years) and Aadharshila (3 to 6 years): early childhood curricula released in 2024
- NFHS-5: 35.5% of children under 5 stunted, 19.3% wasted, 32.1% underweight
- Mission Shakti outlay: ₹20,989 crore for 2021-22 to 2025-26
- MWCD's three umbrella missions: Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, Mission Shakti