The recent decade has laid the foundation — from Beti Bachao Beti Padhao to digital showcases at Mahakumbh 2025. Yet, the true test of progress lies ahead. With the Union Budget 2026-27, there is a decisive opportunity to ignite a scalable revolution in women-led development, starting with a fundamental reimagining of how India’s "Naari Shakti" is upskilled, funded, and empowered.

To achieve this, the efforts of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), which shapes the welfare, holistic development, and empowerment of 67.7% of the total population, are crucial. The overall vision and mission of the Ministry underscore a dual focus on gender equity and child-centric welfare, aligning with constitutional mandates as well as the sustainable development goals (SDGs). 

Saksham Anganwadi, POSHAN 2.0

Over the years, the Ministry’s work has reflected a phase of consolidation rather than expansion. The consolidation of multiple schemes under three flagship programmes — the Saksham Anganwadi & POSHAN 2.0, Mission Shakti, and the Mission Vatsalya, marked an administrative reform. 

In the 2025-26 [MWCD] budget, there was a 16% increment from the previous year. However, even with such estimated outlays, the revised appropriations remain low and, utilisation, even lower.

The budget could also be disbursed based on a joint key performance indicator (KPI) framework to ensure the effective implementation of various initiatives and schemes. 

In the last nine years, the actual expenditure by the Ministry has been lower than the budget allocations: 

Spending progress has also been slow. By February 2025, only ₹18,497.21 crore had been utilised, amounting to 70.89% of the Budget Estimate and 79.79% of the Revised Estimate. A similar trend is noticeable among schemes.

On average, between 2021-22 and 2024-25, spending under Mission Shakti and Mission Vatsalya was 43% and 14% respectively lower than budgeted. In response to the Standing Committee's (2022) concerns over underutilisation, the Ministry stated that the majority of the allocation was towards centrally sponsored schemes, which were implemented by states, and the allocation was decided based on the inputs received from states. It is also important to note that the funds allocated and their utilisation vary across states.

Major Initiatives 

Robust MWCD budgeting is not just an administrative requirement; it is a fundamental investment in human development and long-term gender equality. 

Mission Shakti brings together various measures for women’s safety and security under Sambal and Samarthya, which emerge as the fulcrum on which protection, participation, and progress converge. The allocations for Mission Shakti rose to ₹3,146 crore in 2024-25, marking a substantial increase, considering the fact that the allocations in previous years were considerably low.

The implementation of training programmes for skill development under MWCD initiatives is the responsibility of the Savitribai Phule National Institute of Women and Child Development (SPNIWCD). In addition to offline programmes, SPNIWCD has expanded its reach by hosting training programmes on online platforms and, as a result, adopting modern and accessible methods of knowledge-sharing. 

STEP Programme

The STEP programme also provides training for skill upgradation to poor and assetless women in the traditional sectors, including agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, handicrafts, khadi and village industries, and wasteland development. 

These interventions were reinforced by the broader skilling architecture under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).  

The MSDE restructured the ‘Skill India Programme’ and integrated the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 (PMKVY 4.0), the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (PM-NAPS), and the Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) scheme.  

There has also been emphasis on the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA), which aims to impart digital literacy to the rural population. These schemes have also helped women and girls in gaining the necessary skills required for jobs and entrepreneurship.

The cumulative impact reveals that nearly 200 lakh beneficiaries were given training over five years, with women's representation rising from 7.2% in 2020-21 to 15% in 2024-25. A report by the TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, in collaboration with the Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN Global) and the India Employer Forum, shows that the number of women apprentices rose from 124,000 in 2021–22 to 196,914 in 2023–24, marking a 58% increase in the number of apprentices. 

However, the training allocation has not aligned with skill-gap studies as reported by CAG.

Moreover, when compared to the overall distribution of the beneficiaries, women still lag (7.2% against 92.8% men in 2020-2021 and 15% against 85% men in 2024-2025).

This gap calls for enhanced gender-responsive skilling strategies and increased funding in the upcoming budget.

Convergence Model 

In the run-up to the budget, the need for an integrated approach has become ever more evident. The convergence model moves beyond parallel efforts to "an integrated delivery architecture".

Since the two Ministries (MWCD and MSDE) run parallel training centres, it becomes difficult for women beneficiaries to track the initiatives and the benefits they are eligible to receive. This calls for enhanced collaborative efforts among the two Ministries to bridge this gap.  

In 2019, the two Ministries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve women’s livelihood and empower them through skill development. The MWCD, through the Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, has been responsible for identifying the skillsets and geographical relevance suitable for enhancing the livelihood of women through self-employment or wage-employment. Last year, the MSDE, in collaboration with the MWCD, launched NAVYA (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls) project on a pilot basis to impart skill development training to adolescent girls in 27 aspirational and difficult districts.

More such initiatives are an imperative now.  

Private Sector Participation

A "Convergence Fund", which could be allocated under the Mission Shakti programme, could be disbursed for the various schemes. 

The upcoming budget also presents an opportunity to improve private sector participation. Corporate-led CSR initiatives have shown measurable impact across women’s health, education, skilling, and entrepreneurship.

The Adani Foundation’s SHE (Supporting Her Exponential Empowerment) framework, which comprises initiatives such as Saksham and Suposhan, demonstrates how community-based models can strengthen women’s livelihoods. Similar efforts by Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, and Wipro have also taken steps for education and gender equality. 

Skill development forms an integral part of ensuring that women gain access to wage and self-employment opportunities, considering the widening gap in women's labour participation despite a rise in their educational qualifications.  

Budget As A Catalytic Force

The Union Budget 2026–27 must be the catalytic force that turns promise into progress. It should transcend incremental funding to deliver strategic, convergent investments in women’s skilling, which is crucial. 

This could be materialised through increased allocations with strict utilisation-tracking and enhanced inter-ministerial coordination through a dedicated convergence fund and joint KPIs.

Only then can budgetary allocations close the widening gap between training and livelihoods, education and employment.

(Cchavi Vasisht is an Associate Fellow at Chintan Research Foundation. Vaishnavi Sharma is an Intern at Chintan Research Foundation. Views are personal.)