- Why in news
- On 7 August 2026, the Women and Child Development Ministry told the Lok Sabha about Mission Shakti, One Stop Centres and the Women Helpline. It gave figures up to 30 June 2026.
- What it is
- Mission Shakti is the Women and Child Development Ministry's umbrella scheme for women's safety and empowerment. It has two verticals: Sambal (safety and security) and Samarthya (empowerment). One Stop Centres and the Women Helpline 181 sit under Sambal.
- Two verticals
- Mission Shakti has Sambal for safety and security, and Samarthya for empowerment.
- One Stop Centres
- OSCs give medical aid, legal aid, temporary shelter, police help and counselling under one roof to women hit by violence. They are part of Sambal.
- OSC numbers
- 991 OSCs were operational from 1 April 2015 to 30 June 2026, and over 15.20 lakh women were assisted.
- Women Helpline 181
- A 24-hour toll-free service for women in emergency and non-emergency situations, also under Sambal.
- Funding and implementation
- It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented by State Governments and UT Administrations.
- Monitoring
- The Programme Approval Board reviews progress once a year. A Mission Shakti Dashboard allows real-time tracking at district, State and national levels.
Don’t confuse with Mission Shakti vs Mission Vatsalya: Mission Shakti is for women's safety and empowerment. Mission Vatsalya is for children in difficult circumstances and includes Child Helpline 1098.
Don’t confuse with Women Helpline 181 vs ERSS-112: 181 is the Women and Child Ministry's helpline for women. ERSS-112 is the Home Ministry's single emergency number, and 181 is integrated with it.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Gives women facing violence medical, legal, police and shelter help at one place.
- Links helplines, OSCs and Shakti Sadan into a continuum of care.
Problems
- Delivery depends on States, so coverage and quality vary.
- Only 661 of 991 OSCs are integrated with the Women Helpline so far.
Way forward
- Complete the integration of all OSCs with the Women Helpline and ERSS-112.
- Use the Mission Shakti Dashboard to find and fix gaps in districts.
Put in your answer
OSC reach: 991 OSCs have assisted over 15.20 lakh women up to 30 June 2026.
Convergence example: OSCs are linked to Shakti Sadan to refer women who need long-term rehabilitation and safe accommodation.
- 2017Mains GS2 · Q15Can NCW strategize and tackle women's problems in public and private spheres?
- 2025Mains GS2 · Q6Explain how women's social capital advances empowerment and gender equity.
- 2014Mains GS4 · Q8Suggest innovative measures to tackle rising sexual violence against women despite laws.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Scheme with two verticals and OSC component; features are commonly tested in Prelims (scheme features 44 questions), but no fresh news fact here.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.