Introduction
The Directorate of Women & Child Development (WCD), Government of Mizoram, is the nodal agency responsible for the welfare, protection, development, and empowerment of women and children in the State. The Directorate implements and monitors various Centrally Sponsored and State-funded programmes relating to nutrition, early childhood care and education, women’s safety, and child protection through a network of district offices, ICDS projects, Anganwadi Centres, and child protection institutions.
Historical Background
Social welfare administration in Mizoram began as a small wing under the Education Department during 1973–1974 with limited staff and responsibilities. It was gradually strengthened and became a full-fledged Social Welfare Department in 1983–1984, extending its activities to the welfare of women, children, persons with disabilities, elderly persons, correctional services, and voluntary organizations.
With the expanding scope of women and child development programmes and the need for focused administration, the Government of Mizoram undertook a major restructuring on 13 April 2018, resulting in the creation of two separate directorates:
- Directorate of Women & Child Development
- Directorate of Social Welfare
The establishment of a dedicated WCD Directorate enabled focused planning, implementation, and monitoring of programmes concerning women and children.
Core Programmes
WCD functions primarily through three umbrella schemes.
1) Saksham Anganwadi & POSHAN 2.0
Saksham Anganwadi & POSHAN 2.0 focuses on improving nutrition, promoting health awareness, and strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for children below six years, adolescent girls, and pregnant and lactating mothers.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), operational in Mizoram since 1978–1979, remains the backbone of child development services in the State. The Directorate currently administers 27 ICDS Projects covering all districts and blocks of Mizoram.
Service delivery is carried out through 2,285 Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), of which 200 centres function as Anganwadi-cum-Crèche (PALNA) Centres, providing extended childcare support for working mothers and vulnerable families.
The core services delivered through Anganwadi Centres include:
- Supplementary Nutrition
- Growth Monitoring
- Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
- Health and Nutrition Education
- Referral Services
- Support for Immunization and Health Services
2) Mission Vatsalya
Mission Vatsalya is dedicated to ensuring the protection, care, rehabilitation, and development of children in need of care and protection as well as children in conflict with law. The scheme supports foster care, adoption, aftercare, sponsorship, and institutional as well as non-institutional child protection services.
To strengthen child protection mechanisms, District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) have been established in all districts of Mizoram. The DCPUs serve as the district-level implementing and coordinating bodies for child protection activities and undertake a wide range of functions, including
The State also has Child Care Institutions for children requiring care and protection, while CHILDLINE 1098, a toll-free 24×7 emergency helpline, provides immediate assistance to children in distress.
3) Mission Shakti
Mission Shakti is an integrated women empowerment programme comprising:
- Sambal – safety and security of women
- Samarthya – empowerment and economic development of women
Support services include District Hubs for Empowerment of Women (DHEW), One Stop Centres (OSC), and the Women Helpline 181, which is available round the clock throughout the State to provide assistance, counselling, referral, and support services to women facing violence, abuse, or difficult circumstances.
Training and Capacity Building
The Anganwadi Workers’ Training Centre (AWTC), Aizawl, established in 1984, is the State’s principal training institution for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers. It conducts induction, refresher, and orientation programmes to strengthen the quality of nutrition, ECCE, community participation, and service delivery at the grassroots level.
Statutory and Institutional Bodies
The Directorate works in close coordination with key statutory bodies:
- Mizoram State Commission for Women (MSCW), established in 1998–1999, functions for the protection of women’s rights, promotion of gender justice, and redressal of grievances relating to women.
- Mizoram State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR), established in 2010, is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the rights, welfare, and best interests of children in the State.
