Page 26 - NIS ENGLISH 1-15 May, 2026

New India and
Women-led
Leadership
Cover Story
A Healthy Woman:

The Foundation of Security

Maternal health is crucial for the overall well-being of any society and for the prosperity of a
nation. When women are healthy, it has a direct and positive impact on the physical, mental,
social, and economic development of their families and communities. In this pursuit, ‘New
India’ is actively building a healthy nation by fostering healthy motherhood.

Poshan PM Matru Vandana Yojana
n The 8th edition of the 'Poshan
Pakhwada' was organized from 4.78 4.26 ₹20,073
April 9 to 23, 2026.
Crore Crore have Crores disbursed to
n Theme for Poshan Pakhwada 2026: beneficiaries received beneficiaries under
"Maximising Brain Development registered benefits. the scheme.
in the First Six Years of Life."
n An amount of ₹5,000 is provided to the
n 'Poshan 2.0' launched to achieve beneficiary in two installments upon the birth of
improved nutritional outcomes.
the first new born.
n ₹11,000 crore+ allocated towards n A lump sum of ₹6,000 is provided to the
this initiative over the past 4 years. beneficiary if the second child is a girl.
n Poshan Abhiyan: The campaign
currently has 10.09 crore Sanitary Pads
beneficiaries. The 'Poshan Thousand-plus PMBJP
Tracker' has been launched to 15 centres selling sanitary
ensure real-time monitoring of pads at ₹1
the programme. The distribution
of 100% fortified rice has also n Sanitary pads worth ₹72 crore have been sold as
commenced. of January 31, 2025.

With the aim of providing relief to women who have been
Abortion victims of violence, the government recently approved the
Time Limit Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, which extends the
time limit for abortion from 20 weeks to 24 weeks.

In 1976, the country’s population stood at 54.79 crores; selves for leadership roles within the knowledge economy.
today, it stands at 140 crores. It is the government’s duty Women's participation in the workforce is on the rise. Today,
to ensure that as the number of members in the House when a rural woman flies a drone over the fields, she is
increases, the number of working days for the House is not merely spraying crops; she is, in fact, transforming the
landscape of the rural economy through technology. When a
also correspondingly increased. woman becomes a 'Lakhpati Didi' through the strength of her
entrepreneurial spirit, she becomes a source of inspiration
for numerous other women in her community. Education,
and more, a strong foundation has been laid to address
the obstacles faced by women. India has achieved gender skill development, entrepreneurship, and structural reforms
parity in school education; in higher education, as well, the have played a significant role in bringing about these positive
number of girls exceeds that of boys in terms of proportion. changes. The 'Skill India Mission' is empowering women with
Women's participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, skills in non-traditional sectors. Women are also increasingly
and Mathematics (STEM) education is growing rapidly. The stepping into the role of job creators. More than half of the
Union Budget 2026-27 includes a provision for establishing recognized startups in the country have at least one woman
a women's hostel in every district. Girls are preparing them- director. Currently, there are over 200,000 women-owned

24 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || May 01-15, 2026