Policy Update
Madhuritha D
Introduction:
The Pankhudi portal was launched on 8 January 2026 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It is an integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and partnership facilitation digital portal aimed at strengthening coordination, transparency, and structured stakeholder participation in initiatives for women and child development. The portal seeks to bridge the gap between government priorities and stakeholder capacities by providing a structured digital interface for corporates, NGOs, academic institutions, and philanthropic organizations. It thus represents a key step toward institutionalizing multi-stakeholder partnerships for achieving gender equity and child welfare outcomes under national development frameworks.
Functioning
Pankhudi is developed as a single-window digital platform that brings together individuals, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributors, corporate entities, and government agencies working in the domain of women and child development. The portal streamlines and unifies voluntary and institutional contributions across various key thematic areas.
It supports and strengthens the implementation of the Ministry’s flagship missions namely Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, and Mission Shakti through a structured and transparent digital mechanism. Some of the areas covered under the portal such as infrastructure for Anganwadi centres including additional rooms for AWC, Toilets for Girls/Boys, Water facilities, basic electronic facilities, educational facilities, digital infrastructure etc., health and safety aids including First Aid Kit, water purifier, Disinfectants & Sanitizers, outreach infrastructure for Ministry’s schemes which includes sign boards, posters, advertisements and nukkad nataks or street plays in various places.
This portal also covers Poshan MAAH and Poshan Pakhwada and facilitates activities through outreach, providing resources like halls, ground tools and materials for the event etc. It enhances women’s safety by providing opportunities to various stakeholders in working in convergence with State/UT Authorities to conduct safety audits, set up streetlights, awareness on helpline numbers etc. Additionally, it covers industrial training for adolescent girls, vocational training, training for anganwadi functionaries and also facilitating camps for improving linkages from time to time.
The approving authorities for projects under CSR are as follows:
| S.No | Project | Approving authority |
| 1 | Projects within a District | District Magistrate |
| 2 | Projects spread across more than one district within a state | Principal secretary / Secretary of WCD Department of State |
| 3 | Projects concerning more than one state or umbrella agreements with organisation like FICCI/CII/ASSOCHAM or any corporate organisation | Ministry of Women and Child Development |
Source: Office Memorandum, Ministry of Women and Child Development, 2024
Contributors may choose to support projects either fully or partially, or may submit self-initiated contribution proposals, which can be mapped and reviewed by District and State-level administrators for alignment with their priorities.
Through the Maker-Checker framework, the state authorities can ensure transparency and accountability where the maker approves the project proposals and ensure standardization and uniformity in project design, technical specifications, proposed quantities, and defined impact indicators and the checker scrutinises proposals, ensures negation of duplication, ensure that district-specific needs are adequately reflected in the consolidated proposals. After the approval, the state government shall monitor and review the projects accordingly. To further strengthen financial transparency and accountability, all contributions through the portal are accepted only through non-cash modes.
Performance
The main aim of this initiative is to pull contributors into a single window while the government navigates the project flows, non-monetary transactions, and monitors for effective implementation and ensuring transparency. The following table shows the six-months (8 January 2026 to 10 July 2026) performance of the portal:
| Contributors registered | 1142 |
| Projects uploaded | 119042 |
| Projects awarded | 25 |
| Beneficiaries benefited | 1792 |
Source: Pankhudi portal, Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The table highlights a significant disproportion between the number of projects uploaded and those that have been awarded. While a large number of projects have been listed on the portal, only a small fraction have moved to the award stage. This reflects the gap in institutional process and contributors engagement. One of the reasons for the notably low performance is the initial phase of the portal which needs better engagement and advocacy. With CSR initiatives taking place in large numbers across the country, there is a high probability for increasing contributors through planned and targeted outreach campaigns.
Impact
Pankhudi portal marks a significant step towards leveraging digital solutions for inclusive, collaborative, and outcome-oriented development of women and children. With a structured and transparent approach through a technology enabled framework, it facilitates feasible CSR initiatives and partnerships with national and state governments and departments. It is designed not only to mobilize resources but also to ensure that contributions are directed toward areas of greatest need while balancing contributor’s autonomy.
Despite the challenges such as disproportionate project approvals and institutional delays, this initiative has set a precedent for a regulated and structured stakeholder participation ensuring transparency and responsibility facilitating the empowerment of women across the country. Through targeted approach and effective implementation and monitoring, it is expected to strengthen the infrastructure and services being provided through more than 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres, 5000 Child Care Institutions, around 800 One Stop Centres (OSCs), more than 500 Shakti Niwas and more than 400 Shakti Sadan (Ministry of Women and Child Development, 2026).
Way forward
- Expand Awareness and Stakeholder Outreach: Launch targeted communication campaigns and engagement programs regularly to improve awareness of the Pankhudi portal among corporates, NGOs, and CSR stakeholders, encouraging higher project participation and collaboration.
- Strengthen Partnerships and Capacity Building: Develop strategic partnerships with industry bodies, CSR networks, and implementation agencies while providing training and support to organizations for effective project onboarding and participation.
- Enhance Monitoring and Portal Effectiveness: Introduce periodic monitoring mechanisms, performance tracking, and feedback systems to improve project matching, increase awarded projects, and strengthen the overall impact of the Pankhudi platform.
Conclusion
Pankhudi portal is a significant milestone in India’s CSR regulations and services. It provides for an integrated approach between private and public sector ensuring collective development and welfare initiatives for the empowerment of women and children. Aligning CSR initiatives with SDGs and national missions on women and child development will help institutionalize it as a tool for structural change.
Despite its potential, few issues need to be addressed. Increasing the project approval rate through institutional monitoring, conducting targeted awareness campaigns, and maintaining a balance between regulation and autonomy can improve participation, ensure accountability, and strengthen the portal’s effectiveness in facilitating CSR collaborations. By fostering long-term public-private partnerships and aligning initiatives with national development goals, Pankhudi can strengthen its effectiveness as a platform for structured CSR collaborations and contribute meaningfully to inclusive and sustainable development.
References
Ministry of Women and Child Development. (2026, January 8). The Ministry of Women and Child Development launches PANKHUDI: An integrated digital portal to strengthen partnerships for women and child development [Press release]. Press Information Bureau, Government of India. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2212400®=3&lang=1
Ministry of Women and Child Development. (2024, November 29). Pankhudi – Corporate social responsibility (Office Memorandum No. CDN/45/2024-Coordination (e-117281)). https://pankhudi.wcd.gov.in/
Ministry of Women and Child Development. (2026). Standard operating procedure for Pankhudi portal. https://pankhudi.wcd.gov.in/
Ministry of Women and Child Development. (n.d.). Pankhudi. https://pankhudi.wcd.gov.in/web/home
About the Contributor
Madhuritha D is a Research and Editorial Intern at IMPRI. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Political Science at Madras Christian College, Chennai. Her internships across think tanks and research organisations involved contributing to strategic reports and policy research. Her academic interests include gender, international relations, and policy analysis.
Acknowledgement
The author would like to extend gratitude to IMPRI for this opportunity. They also extend sincere thanks to Riddhi Suthar and Ameya Satam for their constructive reviews and editorial support.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
