NEW DELHI: The centre has launched a single-window digital platform to facilitate contributions from individuals, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), NGOs, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributors, and corporate entities to government initiatives for early childhood care and women empowerment.
Launching the ‘Pankhudi’ portal, Women and Child Development Minister, Annpurna Devi said the portal is a "non-monetary, transparent, and result-oriented" platform.
“Our effort is that corporates, NGOs, and individuals can connect with the centres without any hassle, and can make a real impact, and can also monitor the progress," the minister said.
Government agencies can also participate.
The portal will also support improved implementation, monitoring, and accountability of the initiatives, the minister said, adding that "the portal will provide end-to-end tracking with transparency."
The contributors can register on the portal, identify initiatives, submit proposals, and track the status of their contributions through clearly defined approval workflows, she said.
She, however, said the portal does not allow monetary contributions.
“To further strengthen financial transparency and accountability, all contributions through the portal are accepted only through non-cash modes,” she said.
The portal streamlines and unifies voluntary and institutional contributions across key thematic areas including nutrition, health, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), child welfare, protection and rehabilitation, and women’s safety and empowerment.
It enhances convergence and coordination across stakeholders by providing a common digital interface for CSR and voluntary contributions, and supports improved implementation, monitoring, and accountability of initiatives aimed at the welfare and empowerment of women and children.
The ministry said the portal supports and strengthens the implementation of the WCD ministry’s flagship mission - Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, and Mission Shakti - through a structured and transparent digital mechanism.
Designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and traceability, the portal facilitates collaboration among central and state government departments, implementing agencies, civil society organisations, and stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
“The launch of the PANKHUDI portal marks a significant step towards leveraging digital solutions for inclusive, collaborative, and outcome-oriented development of women and children across India, while enhancing ease of doing CSR and partnerships with the government through a transparent, trusted, and technology-enabled framework,” a statement from the WCD ministry said.
“This will improve the infrastructure and services being provided through more than 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres, five thousand Child Care Institutions, around 800 One Stop Centres (OSCs), more than 500 Shakhi Niwas and more than 400 Shakti Sadan ultimately leading to ease of living of crores of common citizens getting service through these institutions,” it added.