Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Annapurna Devi, launched the PANKHUDI portal — an integrated digital platform designed to channel Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and partnership contributions into women and child development initiatives. The launch marks a significant step in leveraging private sector resources for government flagship schemes.
PANKHUDI stands for Partnership for Advancing Nutrition, Knowledge, Health, Upliftment, Development and Inclusion. The portal acts as a bridge between corporates looking to fulfil their CSR obligations under the Companies Act and the Ministry of Women and Child Development's (MoWCD) flagship missions: Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, and Mission Shakti.
Poshan 2.0, launched in 2021, is the government's overarching nutrition mission targeting malnutrition among children under six, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. Mission Vatsalya focuses on child protection services and welfare, while Mission Shakti is a comprehensive scheme for women's safety, security, and empowerment.
The PANKHUDI portal enables corporates to identify specific projects, geographic areas, and programme pillars within these missions where their CSR contributions will be directed. It provides transparency in fund utilisation through real-time dashboards, ensures accountability, and allows companies to track the impact of their investments.
India's CSR regulations, mandated under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, require companies meeting specific financial thresholds to spend at least 2% of their average net profits over the preceding three years on CSR activities. PANKHUDI provides a structured, ministry-approved channel to direct these funds toward proven government programmes, maximising impact in nutrition and women's welfare.