WCD Minister Annpurna Devi: Women empowerment key to Viksit Bharat 2047
Synopsis
Union Minister Annpurna Devi used a review of the SPNIWCD Western Regional Centre in Indore to push two clear agendas: tighter feedback loops on flagship welfare schemes, and the launch of a formally recognised child counselling diploma from July 2026 — a rare institutionalisation of child mental health support at the grassroots level.
Key Takeaways
Annpurna Devi chaired a review of SPNIWCD Western Regional Centre in Indore on 15 June .
Flagship schemes — Saksham Anganwadi , POSHAN 2.0 , Mission Shakti , and Mission Vatsalya — were highlighted as key drivers of women and child welfare.
The Advanced Diploma in Child Guidance and Counselling (ADCGC) , recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India , will launch in July 2026 .
The Minister called for structured trainee feedback to improve policy responsiveness and identify implementation gaps.
A plantation drive under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, planting five saplings per the Panchvati concept, opened the event.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi on Monday, 15 June said the government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is steadily advancing the empowerment, protection, and holistic development of women and children as part of its roadmap for Viksit Bharat@2047. She made the remarks while chairing a review meeting of the Savitribai Phule National Institute of Women and Child Development (SPNIWCD), Western Regional Centre, in Indore.
Flagship Schemes Driving the Agenda
Addressing the gathering, Annpurna Devi highlighted that the Ministry's four flagship programmes — Saksham Anganwadi, POSHAN 2.0, Mission Shakti, and Mission Vatsalya — are central to achieving measurable outcomes in women's welfare and child development. She emphasised that these schemes function as an integrated ecosystem rather than standalone interventions, collectively targeting nutrition, safety, economic empowerment, and child protection.
The Union Minister called for regular, structured feedback from participants of the Institute's training programmes, noting that ground-level input from trainees is essential to making government policies more responsive and people-centric. She said such feedback would also help identify implementation gaps and areas requiring course correction.
New Counselling Diploma to Launch in July 2026
Valeti Premchand, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) and Director of the Institute, informed attendees that the Advanced Diploma in Child Guidance and Counselling (ADCGC) — developed in collaboration with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University of Social Sciences — is set to commence from July 2026. The programme has received recognition from the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), lending it formal professional standing.
Annpurna Devi said the ADCGC course would help build a dedicated cadre of trained psychosocial counsellors equipped to support the mental and emotional development of children. This comes amid growing recognition among policymakers of the need to institutionalise child mental health support at the grassroots level.
Institute Activities Reviewed
During the session, the Union Minister received a detailed presentation covering the Institute's regular training programmes, ongoing research studies, and the activities and progress of its Child Guidance Centre. The review was attended by Savitri Thakur, Minister of State; Shankar Lalwani, Member of Parliament from Indore; senior Ministry officials; and officers and staff of the Regional Centre.
Plantation Drive Under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam'
The programme opened with a plantation drive under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, an initiative inspired by Prime Minister Modi. In keeping with the concept of Panchvati, five saplings — Banyan, Peepal, Bael, Ashoka, and Amla — were planted in the Institute campus by the Union Minister and other guests.
The Indore review reflects the Centre's broader push to strengthen institutional capacity in women and child welfare, with the ADCGC launch marking a concrete step toward professionalising child counselling services across the country.
Point of View
Asking for feedback mechanisms that could, in principle, hold programmes accountable. The ADCGC diploma is a genuinely useful step — India has a severe shortage of trained child counsellors — but RCI recognition alone does not guarantee scale or deployment. The harder question is whether graduates of this diploma will find structured roles within the Anganwadi and Mission Vatsalya ecosystem, or whether the qualification will remain a credential without a system to absorb it.
NationPress
1 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Viksit Bharat@2047 and how does women empowerment connect to it?
Viksit Bharat@2047 is the Indian government's vision to make India a developed nation by the centenary of its independence. The Ministry of Women and Child Development views the empowerment, protection, and holistic development of women and children as foundational to achieving this goal, with schemes like Mission Shakti and POSHAN 2.0 serving as key vehicles.
What is the Advanced Diploma in Child Guidance and Counselling (ADCGC)?
The ADCGC is a new professional programme developed by the SPNIWCD in collaboration with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University of Social Sciences, set to launch in July 2026. It has been recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) and aims to train psychosocial counsellors for child mental and emotional development.
What are the Ministry of WCD's flagship schemes mentioned at the Indore review?
The four flagship schemes highlighted are Saksham Anganwadi, POSHAN 2.0, Mission Shakti, and Mission Vatsalya. Together, they address nutrition, women's safety and empowerment, and child protection across India.
Why did WCD Minister Annpurna Devi stress trainee feedback at the SPNIWCD review?
The Minister said regular feedback from training programme participants would help identify implementation challenges and areas needing improvement. She argued that such input could make government schemes more impactful, responsive, and people-centric.
What was the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' drive held at the Indore event?
It is a plantation campaign inspired by Prime Minister Modi. At the SPNIWCD campus in Indore, five saplings — Banyan, Peepal, Bael, Ashoka, and Amla — were planted in accordance with the Panchvati concept, symbolising the programme's environmental commitment alongside its welfare mandate.
