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Women and Child Development

Women and child development for CGPSC Mains GS-V: Poshan 2.0, Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, PMMVY, laws, and Chhattisgarh's nutrition and women's schemes.

14 min read Updated Oct 2026 #women and child development#poshan 2.0#anganwadi

Prerequisites

The Hook: The Anganwadi Weighing Scale

Connect

Every month, in about 13.9 lakh anganwadi centres (आंगनबाड़ी केंद्र) across India, a worker hangs a child on a weighing scale and enters the result in the Poshan Tracker app. In a Bastar village, that number decides whether the child gets extra take-home ration, a referral to a Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre, or a home visit. The same worker registers pregnant women, who can then claim maternity cash under PMMVY, and the same village’s mothers receive ₹1,000 a month under the State’s Mahtari Vandan Yojana.

Yet NFHS-5 found about one in three children under 5 in Chhattisgarh stunted and six in ten women anaemic. What does India do for women and children, how is it organised, and why are outcomes slow to improve?

Why it matters: GS-V asks about welfare of women and children directly (“evaluate Poshan Abhiyaan”, “Is cash transfer to women empowering?”, “Critically examine the role of anganwadis”). The answer needs scheme architecture, constitutional basis, data with years, and a Chhattisgarh angle. All figures are as of 2026 unless dated otherwise.

ProvisionWhat it says
Article 15(3)The State may make special provisions for women and children
Article 21AFree and compulsory education for children aged 6–14
Article 24No child below 14 in factories, mines or hazardous work
Article 39(e), (f)Children not to be abused; opportunities for healthy development
Article 42Just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief
Article 45Early childhood care and education for children up to 6 (after the 86th Amendment, 2002)
Article 47Raise nutrition and public health
Article 51A(e)Duty to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women
Articles 243D, 243TAt least one-third of panchayat and municipal seats for women (Chhattisgarh gives 50% in panchayats since the 2008 amendment)
106th Amendment Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, नारी शक्ति वंदन अधिनियम)One-third of seats in the Lok Sabha, State Assemblies and the Delhi Assembly for women; takes effect after the delimitation that follows the first census after the Act, and lasts 15 years

Key laws (details in Social Legislation): Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961; PCPNDT Act, 1994 (sex-selection); Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006; POCSO Act, 2012; Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (POSH) Act, 2013; Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (amended 2021); Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 (paid maternity leave raised to 26 weeks).

Institutions: the Ministry of Women and Child Development (महिला एवं बाल विकास मंत्रालय) became a separate ministry in 2006 (it was earlier a department under the Ministry of HRD); the National Commission for Women (set up 1992 under an Act of 1990); the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights; and, in the State, the Chhattisgarh State Commission for Women and the Women and Child Development Department.

The Three Umbrella Missions (from 2021–22)

In 2021–22 the Ministry regrouped its schemes into three missions for the 15th Finance Commission period.

graph TD
    A["Ministry of Women and Child Development"] --> B["Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 - nutrition and early childhood"]
    A --> C["Mission Shakti - safety and empowerment of women"]
    A --> D["Mission Vatsalya - child protection"]
    C --> E["Sambal - safety: One Stop Centres, 181 helpline, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Nari Adalat"]
    C --> F["Samarthya - empowerment: PMMVY, Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Palna creches"]

1. Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (पोषण 2.0)

ElementDetail
RootsICDS (Integrated Child Development Services), launched 2 October 1975; POSHAN Abhiyaan launched 8 March 2018 at Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan)
BeneficiariesChildren 0–6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers; adolescent girls in focus areas
Scale (2026)About 13.9 lakh anganwadi centres serving about 10 crore beneficiaries
Six services(1) Supplementary nutrition (hot cooked meal, take-home ration), (2) pre-school education (ECCE), (3) nutrition and health education, (4) immunisation, (5) health check-up, (6) referral (the last three with the health department)
TechnologyPoshan Tracker (launched 1 March 2021): real-time attendance, growth measurement, meals and ration
CampaignsPoshan Maah (September) and Poshan Pakhwada (March)
TypeCentrally Sponsored Scheme, implemented by States

2. Mission Shakti (मिशन शक्ति): from 2022–23

Sub-schemeComponents
Sambal (safety and security)One Stop Centres (“Sakhi”), running since 1 April 2015: medical, legal, police and counselling help under one roof for women facing violence; Women Helpline 181; Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (22 January 2015, Panipat); Nari Adalat (community forums for women’s grievances)
Samarthya (empowerment)PMMVY (maternity benefit); Shakti Sadan (homes for women in distress and trafficking survivors); Sakhi Niwas (working women’s hostels); Palna (anganwadi-cum-creches); hubs for the empowerment of women

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (प्रधानमंत्री मातृ वंदना योजना):

  • ₹5,000 for the first living child, paid to the mother by DBT in instalments linked to registration of pregnancy and antenatal check-up, and to the birth registration and first vaccination cycle of the child.
  • Under Mission Shakti, ₹6,000 for the second child only if it is a girl, to discourage sex-selection.
  • It gives effect to the maternity benefit of at least ₹6,000 promised in the NFSA, 2013; it is a conditional cash transfer.

3. Mission Vatsalya (मिशन वात्सल्य)

ElementDetail
PurposeChild protection and child rights, implementing the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015
InstitutionsChild Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice Boards, District Child Protection Units, child care institutions; CARA for adoption
Non-institutional careSponsorship, foster care and after-care for those leaving institutions at 18
HelplineChild Helpline 1098, now integrated with the emergency response number 112
2021 amendment of the JJ ActDistrict Magistrates issue adoption orders and supervise child care institutions

Other schemes that target women

SchemeWomen-centred design
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (22 January 2015, with BBBP)Small-savings account for a girl child, at a high interest rate
PM Ujjwala YojanaLPG connection in the woman’s name
PMAY-GHouses in the woman’s name or jointly, encouraged
NFSA ration cardEldest woman (18+) is head of household; Chhattisgarh did this first, in its 2012 Act
DAY-NRLM (Bihan in Chhattisgarh)Women’s SHGs; Lakhpati Didi (₹1 lakh+ income a year)
Stand-Up IndiaAt least one woman borrower per bank branch

The Chhattisgarh Picture

Data (with years)

IndicatorChhattisgarhSource
Sex ratio991 females per 1,000 males (India 943)Census 2011
Child sex ratio (0–6)969 (India 918)Census 2011
Children under 5 stunted34.6%NFHS-5 (2019–21)
Children under 5 wasted18.9%NFHS-5
Children under 5 underweight31.3%NFHS-5
Women aged 15–49 anaemic60.8% (rose from NFHS-4)NFHS-5

The paradox for Mains: Chhattisgarh’s sex ratio is among the best in India (tribal societies value women’s labour, and son-preference is weaker), yet its nutrition indicators are poor. Status in the household does not automatically mean good health.

State schemes for women and children

SchemeDetail (as of 2026)
Mahtari Vandan Yojana₹1,000 a month by DBT to married women aged 21+ (including widows, divorced and deserted women); first instalment 10 March 2024; about 67.3 lakh women in the August 2026 instalment. See Chhattisgarh Welfare Schemes
Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah YojanaAssistance for the marriage of daughters of poor families, mainly through mass marriages; raised from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 per daughter in April 2023; brides must be 18+
Mukhyamantri Suposhan AbhiyanLaunched 2 October 2019: extra nutritious meals for malnourished children under 6 and anaemic women aged 15–49, on top of anganwadi rations. The State reported about 2.11 lakh children out of malnutrition by August 2022 (State figures, not an independent survey)
Sakhi One Stop CentresRun in districts under Mission Shakti’s Sambal component
Bihan SHGsWomen’s groups in anganwadi supply chains, minor forest produce processing and small enterprises
Panchayat reservation50% of panchayat seats and chair posts for women (2008 amendment)
Why nutrition lags despite schemes (Mains)
  1. Diet quality: cheap rice gives calories, but pulses, eggs, vegetables and millets are needed for iron and protein.
  2. Women’s health before pregnancy: anaemic, underweight mothers have low-birth-weight babies; the cycle starts in adolescence.
  3. Water and sanitation: repeated diarrhoea undoes nutrition gains, which is why JJM and SBM are nutrition schemes too.
  4. Remote delivery: anganwadis in forest hamlets of Bastar and Surguja face staff vacancies, poor connectivity and seasonal migration of families.
  5. Measurement: State claims of children “freed from malnutrition” use anganwadi weighing; NFHS uses independent measurement. Prefer NFHS figures in answers.

Analysis: Cash to Women, Does It Empower? (Mains material)

ForAgainst / limits
Money in a woman’s own account increases her say in household spending₹1,000 a month is modest; empowerment needs work, skills and safety
Spending by women tends to favour children’s food, health and schoolingUnconditional cash does not ensure spending on nutrition
Builds financial inclusion (accounts, mobile banking)Women without documents, or unmarried women, may be excluded
Recognises unpaid care workFiscal cost may crowd out anganwadi, creche and health investments
Low leakage through DBTNo independent impact evaluation of Mahtari Vandan was available as of 2026

Balanced line: cash transfers to women are a useful floor; empowerment comes from combining them with services (anganwadis, creches under Palna, health), livelihoods (Bihan SHGs, Lakhpati Didi), safety (One Stop Centres, 181) and voice (50% panchayat seats, the 2023 women’s reservation law).

Memory Tricks

Three missions: 'Poshan feeds, Shakti protects, Vatsalya cares'
Poshan 2.0 = nutrition and anganwadis; Shakti = women (Sambal = safety, Samarthya = empowerment); Vatsalya = child protection (JJ Act, adoption, 1098).
Sambal vs Samarthya: 'S-O-S vs S-P-P'
Sambal is the SOS side: Sakhi One Stop Centre, One-eight-one helpline (181), BBBP, Nari Adalat. Samarthya is the Support, Pay, Place side: Shakti Sadan and Sakhi Niwas, PMMVY (pay), Palna (place for children).
Dates: '75-15-18-21'
ICDS 1975 (2 Oct) → BBBP and One Stop Centres 2015 → POSHAN Abhiyaan 2018 (8 March, Jhunjhunu) → Poshan Tracker and the three missions 2021.

Don’t Confuse

ThisvsThat
PMMVY: ₹5,000 for the first child; ₹6,000 if the second child is a girlvsJanani Suraksha Yojana: cash for institutional delivery (National Health Mission)
Sambal: safety (OSC, 181, BBBP)vsSamarthya: empowerment (PMMVY, Palna, Shakti Sadan)
POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018)vsPM POSHAN (2021; the renamed school mid-day meal)
ICDS: anganwadi services (1975)vsICPS / Mission Vatsalya: child protection
Mahtari Vandan (State, ₹1,000 a month to women)vsPMMVY (Centre, maternity cash for pregnancies)
Sex ratio 991 (all ages)vsChild sex ratio 969 (0–6), both Census 2011

Common Mistakes

Trap 1: PMMVY for every child
PMMVY pays for the first child (₹5,000) and for the second only if it is a girl (₹6,000). It is not paid for every birth.
Trap 2: the 2023 women's reservation is already in force
The 106th Amendment Act, 2023 reserves one-third of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats for women, but it takes effect only after delimitation based on the first census after the Act. Do not write that it applied in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly election.
Trap 3: POSHAN vs PM POSHAN
POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018) is the nutrition mission for anganwadi beneficiaries. PM POSHAN (2021) is the school meal scheme. Options often swap them.
Trap 4: State 'malnutrition-free' figures as survey data
Numbers like “2.11 lakh children freed from malnutrition” are the State’s own anganwadi-based figures. NFHS-5 is the independent benchmark. Name the source.

Practice

These are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.

Level 1: Foundation

  1. ICDS was launched on ________.
  2. Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes: ________ (safety) and ________ (empowerment).
  3. Under PMMVY, the benefit for the first living child is ₹________.
Answers
  1. 2 October 1975
  2. Sambal; Samarthya
  3. 5,000

Level 2: Prelims MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements:

  1. POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched on 8 March 2018 at Jhunjhunu.
  2. One Stop Centres (“Sakhi”) are part of the Samarthya sub-scheme of Mission Shakti.
  3. Under PMMVY, ₹6,000 is given for the second child only if the child is a girl.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  • (a) 1 only
  • (b) 1 and 3 only
  • (c) 2 and 3 only
  • (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
(b) 1 and 3 only. One Stop Centres belong to Sambal (safety and security), along with the 181 helpline, BBBP and Nari Adalat. Samarthya covers PMMVY, Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas and Palna.

Q2. Match List-I (Mission / scheme) with List-II (Focus):

List-IList-II
A. Mission Vatsalya1. Nutrition and anganwadi services
B. Mission Poshan 2.02. Safety and empowerment of women
C. Mission Shakti3. Hot cooked meals in schools
D. PM POSHAN4. Child protection and adoption
  • (a) A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3
  • (b) A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3
  • (c) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
  • (d) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
Answer and explanation
(a) A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3. Vatsalya implements the JJ Act; Poshan 2.0 runs anganwadi nutrition; Shakti covers women’s safety and empowerment; PM POSHAN is the renamed school mid-day meal.

Q3. According to Census 2011, the child sex ratio (0–6 years) of Chhattisgarh was:

  • (a) 918
  • (b) 943
  • (c) 969
  • (d) 991
Answer and explanation
(c) 969. 991 is Chhattisgarh’s overall sex ratio; 943 and 918 are India’s overall and child sex ratios. All four numbers appear together in options, so learn them as a set.

Q4. Which of the following is not one of the six services delivered through anganwadi centres?

  • (a) Supplementary nutrition
  • (b) Pre-school non-formal education
  • (c) Immunisation
  • (d) Free bicycles for girls entering Class 9
Answer and explanation
(d). The six anganwadi services are supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, nutrition and health education, immunisation, health check-up and referral. Bicycles for girls are a State education scheme (Chhattisgarh’s Saraswati Cycle Yojana).

Q5. The Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana of Chhattisgarh (as of 2026):

  • (a) gives ₹1,000 a month to unmarried women
  • (b) provides up to ₹50,000 per daughter for marriage, mainly through mass marriages
  • (c) is a central scheme under Mission Shakti
  • (d) applies to girls aged 16 and above
Answer and explanation
(b). The assistance was raised from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 in April 2023; it is a State scheme run by the Women and Child Development Department, and brides must be at least 18 (the legal age of marriage for women).

Level 3: Mains Answer Writing

Q1. “Anganwadis are the backbone of India’s fight against malnutrition.” Examine with reference to Chhattisgarh. (150–200 words)

Model answer outline
  • Intro: About 13.9 lakh anganwadi centres under Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 deliver six services to children under 6 and pregnant and lactating women.
  • Why backbone: first point of contact; supplementary nutrition; growth monitoring (Poshan Tracker); ECCE; link to immunisation, PMMVY registration and referral.
  • Chhattisgarh angle: NFHS-5 stunting 34.6%, wasting 18.9%, women’s anaemia 60.8%; Suposhan Abhiyan (2019) added extra meals; Bihan SHGs in supply chains.
  • Weaknesses: overburdened, low-paid workers; vacancies and poor buildings in remote areas; quality of take-home ration; data entry burden; weak ECCE.
  • Way forward: better pay and training, Saksham (upgraded) centres, local foods such as millets and eggs, convergence with JJM, SBM and health.
  • Conclusion: anganwadis are necessary but must be strengthened and linked to water, sanitation and women’s health to cut malnutrition.

Q2. Critically evaluate cash transfers to women, such as the Mahtari Vandan Yojana, as a tool of women’s empowerment. (250 words)

Model answer outline
  • Intro: Mahtari Vandan pays ₹1,000 a month to married women aged 21+ (first instalment 10 March 2024; about 67.3 lakh women in August 2026). Several States run similar schemes.
  • Empowering effects: bargaining power in the household; financial inclusion; recognition of unpaid work; spending on children.
  • Limits: small amount; unconditional, so no assured nutrition spending; exclusion of unmarried and undocumented women; fiscal cost (about ₹631 crore a month); no independent evaluation yet; does not change norms, safety or work opportunities by itself.
  • Complementary measures: Mission Shakti (One Stop Centres, Palna creches), Bihan SHGs and Lakhpati Didi, 50% panchayat seats, the 2023 women’s reservation law, skills and jobs.
  • Conclusion: cash is a floor, not the whole house; empowerment needs income, services, safety and voice together, and rigorous outcome evaluation.

Quick Revision Table

FactDetail
Constitutional basisArt 15(3), 21A, 24, 39(e)(f), 42, 45, 47, 51A(e), 243D/243T; 106th Amendment 2023
MWCDSeparate ministry since 2006
Three missions (2021–22)Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0; Mission Shakti; Mission Vatsalya
ICDS / POSHAN Abhiyaan2 Oct 1975 / 8 March 2018, Jhunjhunu
Anganwadi scaleAbout 13.9 lakh centres, about 10 crore beneficiaries (2026)
Poshan Tracker1 March 2021
SambalOSC “Sakhi” (from 1 April 2015), 181, BBBP (22 Jan 2015, Panipat), Nari Adalat
SamarthyaPMMVY, Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Palna, women’s hubs
PMMVY₹5,000 first child; ₹6,000 second child if a girl
Mission VatsalyaJJ Act 2015 (amended 2021: DM adoption orders); 1098
CG sex ratio / CSR991 / 969 (Census 2011)
CG NFHS-5Stunting 34.6%, wasting 18.9%, underweight 31.3%, women’s anaemia 60.8%
CG schemesMahtari Vandan (₹1,000/month); Kanya Vivah (₹50,000 from April 2023); Suposhan Abhiyan (2 Oct 2019); 50% panchayat seats for women

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways
  1. Women and child welfare rests on Articles 15(3), 39, 42, 45 and 47, plus laws from PCPNDT (1994) to POSH (2013) and the JJ Act (2015).
  2. Since 2021–22 the Ministry works through three missions: Poshan 2.0, Shakti (Sambal + Samarthya) and Vatsalya.
  3. Anganwadis (ICDS, 1975) deliver six services; PMMVY is a conditional maternity cash transfer.
  4. Chhattisgarh has a high sex ratio but poor nutrition (NFHS-5): diet quality, maternal health and remote delivery are the gaps.
  5. Cash transfers to women (Mahtari Vandan) are a floor; empowerment needs services, livelihoods, safety and political voice as well.

What’s Next

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