Women & Social Welfare Schemes in India 2026

Central + state schemes specifically for women add up to over ₹50,000 crore annually. Most go to: girl-child savings (Sukanya), maternal benefits (PMMVY), free LPG (Ujjwala), and education (BBBP). This is the simple, single guide for women + caregivers.

• Girl child < 10 → 8.2% tax-free savings → Sukanya Samriddhi
• Pregnant / lactating mother → ₹6k–12k cash → PMMVY
• Education + scholarship for girl child → BBBP
• Free LPG connection → Ujjwala 2.0
• House subsidy (in woman's name) → PMAY 2.0
• Worker accident cover ₹2 lakh → e-Shram
• Women safety helpline → 181
• Stuck or denied? 🪄 RTI in 60 sec.

• Pregnant women / new mothers → PMMVY + JSY
• Parents of girl children → Sukanya, BBBP, scholarship portal
• Single mothers / widows / separated women → priority in PMAY, ration, LPG
• Working women (informal) → e-Shram + ESI
• Survivors of domestic violence → 181 helpline + One-Stop Centre
• Senior women → priority in Ayushman, pension

• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) — 8.2% interest tax-free, account in girl's name, opens any bank/post office before age 10, mature at age 21 (or marriage post-18). Min ₹250 / year, max ₹1.5 lakh / year. Section 80C deduction.
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) — central campaign + scholarship support + sex-ratio improvement. State-level financial benefits vary (Ladli Lakshmi, Bhagya Lakshmi, Cradle Babies, etc.).

• PM Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) — ₹5,000 for first child + ₹6,000 if second child is a girl. Direct cash (DBT) to mother. Aadhaar + bank required.
• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) — institutional delivery cash assistance — ₹1,400 (rural BPL) / ₹1,000 (urban BPL).
• Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) — free institutional delivery + 30-day newborn care + free transport.

• Ujjwala 2.0 — free LPG connection + 12 cylinders/year subsidised. Woman is the connection holder.
• PMAY 2.0 — house subsidy. Mandate: house in woman's name (or jointly with husband) for EWS/LIG.
• e-Shram — for unorganised women workers (domestic, farm, gig). ₹2 lakh accident cover.

• One-Stop Centre (OSC) — Sakhi — integrated support for violence-affected women (medical, legal, police, shelter). Toll-free 181.
• Mahila Helpline 181 — 24×7.
• Mahila Police Volunteers — village/ward-level police aides.
• Working Women Hostels — affordable housing for migrant working women.

• National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) — Aajeevika — SHG-based income generation for rural women.
• Mahila E-Haat — online platform for women entrepreneurs.
• DAY-NULM — urban livelihoods for women.

• Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) — ₹300/month (central) + state top-up.
• Atal Pension Yojana (APY) — ₹1k–5k/month after 60.

1. Visit Anganwadi Centre in your area OR online at https://wcd.nic.in.
2. Carry: Aadhaar (mother + husband), bank passbook (mother's name), MCP card (Mother & Child Protection) issued at first ANC visit.
3. Form 1A — registration during pregnancy.
4. Form 1B — after delivery (with delivery certificate).
5. Form 1C — child completed first immunisation.
6. Money transferred via DBT to mother's bank account in 3 instalments.
7. First child: ₹3,000 + ₹2,000 = ₹5,000 total.
8. Second child if girl: additional ₹6,000 = ₹11,000 total.
9. If stuck > 60 days, file RTI to ICDS Director.

• Aadhaar–bank not seeded — DBT silently fails. Branch visit before applying.
• MCP card not maintained — must show ANC visits. ASHA worker maintains; check it.
• Multiple Aadhaar / duplicate registration — flagged by system. Re-apply with single canonical Aadhaar.
• Trusting agents for sanction “fix” — all schemes are 100% free.
• Not knowing which scheme stacks — PMMVY + JSY are stackable; PMMVY + state schemes (Mamta in Punjab, JSY etc) often stack too.

No — first child gets ₹5,000 (regardless of gender). Second child gets ₹6,000 only if the second child is a girl.

SSY for a girl child < 10: 8.2% tax-free + Section 80C. PPF is more flexible (any holder, withdrawal earlier) but lower interest (~7.1%). For a daughter, SSY beats PPF.

Yes — house can be solely in her name. Submit death/divorce/separation certificate as marital status proof.

e-Shram (universal worker registration), PMSYM (pension after 60 with ₹55–200/month contribution), Ayushman Bharat (if SECC-listed or 70+).

Awareness campaign + state-specific cash for girl child. Central provides ₹0 directly to families — but states use BBBP to fund their local cash schemes (Ladli, Bhagya Lakshmi, etc.). State portal is where you apply.

Mahila Helpline 181 (24×7) → routes to nearest One-Stop Centre (Sakhi) → integrated medical + legal + shelter.

No — only biological/legal parent or guardian. Grandparents can fund it but the account-opening parent must be the guardian.

Distributor will ask for KYC update + may charge nominal reactivation fee. Ujjwala connection itself stays unless formally surrendered.

• 🪄 AI RTI Drafter
• 🎤 AwaazRTI — voice RTI
• 🌐 Citizen 360 — local Anganwadi + Sakhi + women police

• 🏛 Top schemes — pillar
• 🏥 Health & Insurance
• 💰 Financial Support
• 🎓 Education & Skill
• ⚠ Beware of women-targeted scams
• Cyber crime complaint

• Ministry of Women & Child Development
• India Post — Sukanya Samriddhi
• Ujjwala 2.0
• PMMVY official
• Helplines: 181 (women) · 1098 (children) · 1800-11-6446 (PMAY-G)

Last reviewed: 3 May 2026.