193. Strengthen creche programme by leveraging Anganwadis; tripling the number of childcare facilities
Status: Compared to 7930 creches in 2014, there were only 2400 stand-alone creches by October 2023 operated with NGOs’ support. A NITI Aayog study found that most of the states preferred to run Anganwadi-cum-creches (AWCCs) instead of separate stand-alone creches to reduce their financial and administrative burden. Accordingly, the Union government introduced the Palna sub-scheme in April 2022 to set up 17,000 AWCCs to provide daycare facilities through Anganwadis. These day-care facilities are to be provided to all mothers, including those working in the unorganised sector. 5631 AWCCs were approved by Jan 2024. i ii