Women & Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi chairs Consultative Committee Meeting of MPs
The Meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Members
of Parliament for the Ministry of Women & Child Development was held in New
Delhi today. The subject of the meeting was "Mission Saksham Anganwadi and
Poshan 2.0”.
Union Minister for Women & Child Development Annpurna
Devi chaired the meeting. Minister of State for Women & Child Development, Savitri
Thakur was also present. Members of Parliament of various political parties
from Lok Sabha and Rajya took part in the meeting.
During the meeting, Annpurna Devi provided a brief
overview of various schemes of Ministry of Women & Child Development viz
Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0), Mission Shakti
and Mission Vatsalya and highlighted that the Ministry is dedicated to the
cause of women and children, to improve their livelihood in every manner from
the first days of their life, to when they enter the workforce and become
mothers.
Anil Malik, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child
Development provided a brief overview of the scheme to all the members of the
Consultative Committee. Gyanesh Bharti, Additional Secretary, MWCD gave a
presentation on the subject.
Members of Parliament provided suggestions
concerning the actual implementation of the scheme. Annpurna Devi expressed
gratitude to the participants for their valuable contributions. She further
directed officials to take appropriate actions to incorporate the suggestions
made by Members of Parliament and prioritize the welfare of the people. She
also requested the Members of the Parliament to undertake visits in their
regions and create awareness amongst the people and also requested all the
members to provide their valuable suggestions/issues being faced at ground
level to enable the Ministry to take proactive measures for smooth and
effective delivery of services to end beneficiaries.
Present Scenario
Under Mission Poshan 2.0, efforts are being made to
strengthen and upgrade two lakh AWCs as Saksham Anganwadis to enhance the
delivery of nutrition and stimulate the cognitive, emotional, and social
development of children under six years of age. On 30th September
2024, over 11,000 Saksham Anganwadis were inaugurated, offering improved
nutrition and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) services.
Under PM JANMAN for the targeted development
of 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) out of the total 2500
Anganwadi Centres to be constructed in three Financial Years (FYs) up to
2025-26, a total of 2139 Anganwadi centres have been sanctioned out of which
780 operational catering to approximately 22845 beneficiaries in PVTG areas.
One of the important pillars of Mission Poshan 2.0
is governance in which Jan Andolan and Community Based events serve as an important
component. More than 100 crore Jan Andolan activities and 6 crore
community-based events (CBEs) were conducted since 2018.
For the first time, baseline data on nutritional
indicators are available on Poshan Tracker. All Anganwadi centres are equipped
with smart phones. Poshan Tracker is available in 24 languages.
New Developments:
Ministry has developed two-factor authentication
system using face authentication and OTP for ensuring last mile delivery of
Take Home Ration to registered beneficiaries.
To promote decision making at State level and
provide input for policy making, monthly Factsheet giving comprehensive overview
of key nutritional indicators and Anganwadi infrastructure is provided to
States/UT.
Beneficiary Registration introduced for Self
registration by selecting Anganwadi centre to avail the benefits of Anganwadi
services.
It has been announced in the interim budget FY
2024-25 to extend healthcare annual coverage of Rs. 5 Lakhs under Ayushman
Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to all Anganwadi workers and
helpers. As per the information furnished by National Health Authority (NHA),
Ayushmnan Cards have been created for approx. 8.15 Lakh AWWs/AWHs.
Mission Shakti is aimed at empowering Women ‘Across
All Life Stages’. It represents the Government’s unwavering commitment to
'women-led development,' addressing issues that affect women at every stage of
life. This is done through Sambal and Samarthya. Sambal focuses on protection
and support for women, offering programs like One Stop Centres (OSCs) for women
in distress, Women Helpline (181-WHL), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), and Nari
Adalat. Meanwhile, Samarthya emphasises women's empowerment through initiatives
such as Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Palna (formerly the National Creche
Scheme),Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) which provides benefit of
Rs 5000/- given for first child. Rs. 6000/- is given for second child (if girl
child) in a single instalment after the child birth and SANKALP: Hub for
Empowerment of Women (HEW).
Mission Vatsalya focuses on the protection,
welfare, and holistic development of children, particularly those in difficult
circumstances, ensuring their safety, security, and constructive growth. The
Mission integrates the Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme, addressing
various aspects of child development and offering Non-Institutional Care
through kinship care, sponsorship, foster care, and aftercare (up to 21 years).
Key initiatives under the Mission include the PM CARES for Children scheme,
which supports children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Scheme for
Care and Support to Victims under the POCSO Act, 2012, safeguarding children
against sexual abuse. The Mission also simplifies adoption procedures through
the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). Additional measures include the
Child Helpline (1098) and the Track Child portal for monitoring missing
children, reflecting a comprehensive approach to nurturing and safeguarding
every child’s future.
Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 aims to
build India’s human capital and reduce malnutrition by adopting a lifecycle
approach. It integrates Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyaan, and the Scheme for
Adolescent Girls, with a focus on promoting infant and young child feeding
practices, maternal and adolescent nutrition, and the treatment of malnourished
children, while also encouraging AYUSH practices. The Mission benefits
approximately 10.12 crore eligible beneficiaries viz. children aged 0-6
years, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls, providing them
with supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, nutrition and health
education, immunization, health check-ups, and referral services through 13.96
Lakh operational Anganwadi Centres (AWCs). As a universal self-selecting
scheme, it is accessible to all eligible beneficiaries who enrol at AWCs.
Additionally, the Scheme for Adolescent Girls
focuses on providing nutritional and non-nutritional support to girls aged
14-18 years, in Aspirational and North Eastern Districts, where beneficiaries
are entitled to Take Home Rations and other program benefits, ensuring holistic
development and well-being.
The ‘Poshan Tracker application facilitates
monitoring and tracking of all Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), Anganwadi Workers
(AWWs) and beneficiaries on defined indicators. Poshan Tracker is being
leveraged for dynamic identification of stunting, wasting, under-weight
prevalence among children. It is instrumental in facilitating real time
interventions on the ground.