A total of 14,599 Anganwadi-cum-Creches (AWCCs) have been approved as per proposals received from various states/UTs under Palna Scheme of Mission Shakti, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said in a reply in Rajya Sabha on July 23.

What is Palna Scheme?

• The government’s sustained initiatives on education, skilling and employment of women have resulted in increased opportunities for their employment, and more and more women are now in gainful employment, working within or outside their homes. 

• The past few decades have shown a rapid increase in nuclear families. Thus, the children of such working women, who were earlier getting support from joint families while they were at work, are now in need of day care services which have to provide quality care and protection for the children.

• Lack of proper day-care services is, often, a deterrent for women to go out and work. 

• In 2022, erstwhile National Creche Scheme was revamped as Palna Scheme under the sub-scheme ‘Samarthya’ of ‘Mission Shakti’.

• To address difficulties faced by the working mothers in giving due child care and protection to their children, day-care creche facilities are being provided through Palna Scheme.

• Anganwadi-cum-Creche (AWCC) initiative aims to increase ‘women work force participation’. 

• It aims to provide quality creche facilities in a safe and secure environment for children (from ages 6 months – 6 years), nutritional support, health and cognitive development of children, growth monitoring, immunisation, education, etc. 

• Creche facilities under Palna are to be provided to all mothers irrespective of their employment status.

• Palna is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme ensuring the participation of state/UT government to ensure better day-to-day monitoring and proper implementation of scheme, and is implemented with a funding ratio of 60:40 between Centre and state governments and UTs with legislature except northeast & special category states where ratio is 90:10. For UTs without a legislature, 100 per cent funding is provided by the central government.

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development has decided to establish 17,000 Anganwadi-cum-Creches by 15th Finance Commission, that is, up to FY 2025-26. 

Objectives of Palna Scheme: 

i) Providing a safe and secure environment for nutritional, health and cognitive development of the children.

ii) Enabling more mothers to take up gainful employment.

iii) Monitoring compliance of the stipulations laid down in Section 11A of the Maternity Benefit Act regarding setting up of creche facilities by the establishments.

• The Mission Shakti guidelines state that the creche timings need to be flexible depending on the local requirements. 

• Creches shall be open for 26 days in a month and for seven and a half hours per day as per the work schedule of majority of the mothers in the area. 

• The Standard Operating Procedures for AWCCs also state that creche timings may be decided by state/UT governments as per local need, however, it has to be ensured that timing should facilitate working mothers.

• The creche workers and creche helpers under the Palna Scheme are honorary workers.

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