Ministry of Women and Child Development

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The Ministry of Women and Child Development is a part of the Government of India. It is the main body that creates and administers rules, policies, and laws related to women and children in India. The department was first created in 1985 under the Ministry of Human Resource Development to support development for women and children. It was upgraded to a full Ministry on January 30, 2006. The headquarters are in Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi. The annual budget is about ₹25,449 crore (roughly US$3.0 billion) for 2023-24.

The ministry’s main job is to promote the all-round development of women and children. It plans and implements policies and programs, and it can make or amend laws. It coordinates with other government bodies and with non-government organizations (NGOs). It runs programs that provide welfare, services, job training, income generation, awareness, and gender sensitisation, aiming to empower women economically and socially so they can play an equal role in national development.

For children, the ministry runs the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the world’s largest outreach program. ICDS provides nutrition, immunisation, health check-ups, referral services, and pre-school education.

The ministry coordinates many programs across sectors, often working with NGOs to expand their reach. It has introduced several policy initiatives, including the universalisation of ICDS, Kishori Shakti Yojana (a nutrition program for adolescent girls), the Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. It also presents the annual Stree Shakti Puraskar to recognize achievements in six categories: Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, Kannagi Award, Mata Jijabai Award, Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award, Rani Lakshmi Bai Award, and Rani Rudramma Devi Award (for both men and women).

The ministry is led by Minister Annpurna Devi, with Indevar Pandey as Secretary. It operates through seven bureaux and oversees six autonomous organisations. The current ministers are Annpurna Devi (Cabinet Minister) and Savitri Thakur (Minister of State). The ministry’s website is wcd.gov.in.