The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Annpurna Devi, chaired a two-day Departmental Summit on Women and Child Development in New Delhi on October 8, 2026. The summit was attended by Minister of State Smt. Savitri Thakur and brought together Ministers of Women and Child Development from various states along with senior officials from both Central and State Governments.
The primary objective of the summit was to strengthen Centre-State coordination and improve the effective implementation of initiatives aimed at empowering women and ensuring holistic development of children. Key discussion topics included women's empowerment, child development, nutrition, safety, and welfare programs.
States and Union Territories shared experiences on three specific focus areas: strengthening Anganwadi centers for better nutrition and early childhood education, fortifying security arrangements for children living in vulnerable conditions, and effective implementation of institutional and legal provisions related to women's safety. The ministers emphasized that better coordination between Centre and states, exchange of experiences, and effective grassroots implementation of schemes would strengthen efforts toward creating a safe, healthy, and dignified future for women and children.
The summit was framed as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and was conducted under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the goal of enhancing collaborative efforts between different levels of government in the women and child development sector.