Women and Child Development

The vision of the Women and Child Development (WCD) Division is to provide policy inputs for gender empowerment and improve the nutritional outcomes of women and children. The Division designs strategic and long-term policy and programme frameworks and initiatives for improving the nutrition of women and children, and monitors their progress and their efficacy. It provides advice and encourages partnerships between key stakeholders and international and national think tanks, educational and policy-research institutions. The Division also maintains a state-of-the-art resource centre on nutrition.

• To evaluate evolving policy and strategic guidelines pertaining to women and child development.  

• To engage with the Ministry of Women and Child Development to examine current policies, strategies and programmes, both at the Central and State levels and suggest appropriate modifications/mid-course corrections.  

• Analyzing and providing comments on various women and child development schemes, programmes and projects through the appraisal of PPRs; analyzing and providing comments for proposals under the EFC and SFC; reviewing and commenting on Cabinet Notes.  

• Conducting research and generating evidence with research organisations and development partners, and holding discussions with eminent experts in the domains of gender, nutrition, early childhood development, etc.

IIM- Ahmedabad and BMGF

Advancing women-led development and improving performance in Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) is crucial to achieving India's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. A significant approach to this goal is showcasing States/UTs' performance on SDG 5 indicators and supporting their improvement. In this context, NITI Aayog is collaborating with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Gender Centre at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) to provide a comprehensive district-level analysis of SDG-5 indicators. This partnership aims to guide states and UTs in identifying key enablers and barriers to women's empowerment and developing localized solutions to accelerate progress towards SDG-5 goals.

BMGF and Behavioural Insights Team

Behavioural insights play a vital role in the effectiveness of interventions, particularly in the social sector. NITI Aayog, the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), and BMGF have signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) to collaboratively focus their joint efforts on improving behaviour to drive social impact. This initiative targets selected Aspirational Districts, Aspirational Blocks, and other programs, focusing on key indicators such as pregnant women and infant health, primary education, and public health (including tuberculosis eradication and increased hypertension screening), among other mutually decided areas.

• Ministry of Women and Child Development

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

• Ministries of Agriculture

• Ministry of Education

• Ministry of Rural Development

• Ministry of Panchayati Raj

• Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

Title	Download
Best practices on Millets
Transforming Child Nutrition, State-level Approaches and Practices for Community-Based Comprehensive Care and Management of Acute Malnutrition
Take Home Ration: Good practices across States/UTs

Poshan Abhiyaan monitoring reports:

Title	Download
Preserving Progress on Nutrition In India: Poshan Abhiyaan in Pandemic Times
First Biannual Report on Poshan Abhiyaan
Second Biannual Report on Poshan Abhiyaan
Third Biannual Report on Poshan Abhiyaan