Palna Scheme under Mission Shakti – A Journey of Women Empowerment and Child Care

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Palna Scheme under Mission Shakti – A Journey of Women Empowerment and Child Care

ANALYSIS

1. Context

• Growing participation of women in the workforce and increasing nuclear families have intensified the need for reliable child-care facilities.
• The Palna Scheme, reorganized in 2022 under the Samarthya sub-scheme of Mission Shakti, seeks to formalize crèche services to support working mothers and ensure safe, quality care for children.

2. Scheme Structure and Funding Pattern

• Palna is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme involving active participation of States/UTs.
• Funding Ratio:
  • General States: 60:40
  • North-Eastern & Special Category States: 90:10
  • UTs with Legislature: 60:40
  • UTs without Legislature: 100% Central funding

3. Key Objectives

• Provide quality crèche facilities for children aged 6 months to 6 years.
• Offer nutritional support, health services, cognitive development, and growth monitoring.
• Ensure crèche access regardless of mothers’ employment status.
• Monitor compliance of Section 11A of the Maternity Benefit Act, mandating crèche facilities in establishments with 50+ employees.

4. Integrated Package of Services

Aligned with Mission Poshan 2.0, key services include:

• Day-care facilities with safe rest/sleep arrangements.
• Early stimulation activities (below 3 years).
• Pre-school education (3–6 years).
• Supplementary nutrition sourced locally.
• Regular health check-ups, growth monitoring, immunization.

5. Anganwadi Cum Crèche (AWCC)

• Two types of crèches: Standalone Crèches and AWCCs.
• AWCCs integrate Anganwadi services with crèche facilities, enhancing last-mile childcare delivery.
• Provision of Staff:
  • Standalone: 1 Crèche Worker + 1 Helper
  • AWCC: Additional Crèche Worker + Helper beyond existing AWW & AWH

Status (as of March 2025):

• 11,395 AWCCs approved across 34 States/UTs.
• Target for 2024–25: 17,000 new AWCCs.

Operational Status (as of Feb 2025):

• 1,761 AWCCs operational with 28,783 beneficiaries.
• 1,284 Standalone Crèches operational with 23,368 beneficiaries.

6. Role of Crèche Workers

• Ensure hygiene, safety, proper nutrition, and toilet training.
• Maintain clean environments and coordinate with Asha/AWW/PHCs for health referrals.
• Follow safety procedures for child handover and use of age-appropriate materials.

7. Scheme Operations

• Crèches open 26 days/month, 7.5 hours/day, with flexibility based on local needs.
• Proximity requirement: within 0.5–1 km of workplace or residence to support breastfeeding and emergency access.
• Maximum 25 children per crèche for individualized attention.

8. Honorarium Structure

Crèche staff are honorary workers, receiving honorarium (subject to State top-up):

9. Financial Allocations

(in ₹ crore)

*Data as on 19 Dec 2024.

10. Significance

• Supports women’s workforce participation by reducing unpaid care burdens.
• Reinforces SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• Ensures safe, development-oriented childcare integrated with national nutrition and health missions.
• Strengthens gender-sensitive and inclusive social infrastructure.

STATIC PORTION (EXAM-RELEVANT)

Mission Shakti

• Umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• Includes two sub-schemes: Samarthya (women empowerment) and Sambal (safety & security).
• Palna operates under Samarthya.

Maternity Benefit Act – Section 11A

• Establishments with 50 or more employees must provide crèche facilities.
• Allows mothers to visit crèche four times a day (including rest interval).

Anganwadi System

• Part of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
• World’s largest early childhood care program.
• Provides nutrition, pre-school education, and health services.

Updated – 07 Apr 2025 ; 4:43 PM | PIB

News Source:PIB