Rs 318 cr disbursed for women, children in Punjab, RS told

Union Minister Annpurna Devi on Friday said the Centre had reviewed the schemes for welfare of women and children in Punjab and other states, and clubbed the same into three umbrella missions.

Speaking in the Upper House of Parliament, she noted that these three broad categories include Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 for improving nutrition and health indicators; Mission Shakti for safety, protection and empowerment of women; and Mission Vatsalya for protection, care and welfare of children in difficult circumstances.

She said Central funds to the tune of Rs 265.48 crore were released for Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0; Rs 14.76 crore for Mission Vatsalya; and Rs 38.05 crore for Mission Shakti, in Punjab, in 2024-25.

The Women and Child Development minister further said fortified rice was being supplied to anganwadi centres to meet the requirement of micro-nutrients and to control anaemia among women and children in Punjab.