National Creche Scheme, earlier known as Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme, has been reorganized and renamed as Palna Scheme under the sub scheme Samarthya of Mission Shakti. Palna Scheme 2026 provides day care facilities for children aged 6 months to 6 years of working mothers, along with nutrition and health support. The scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme run through States and Union Territories with a funding ratio of 60:40 between the Centre and the States.
Ministry of Women and Child Development is targeting to set up 17,000 new Anganwadi cum Creches under the Palna Scheme. As of March 2025, 11,395 Anganwadi cum Creches across 34 States and UTs have been approved. The scheme is still running and continues to accept proposals from States and UTs for setting up creche facilities.
About National Creche Scheme 2026
National Creche Scheme, now known as Palna Scheme, aims to provide quality day care facilities to children aged 6 months to 6 years of working mothers. The scheme helps working women by giving them a safe and secure place to leave their children while they go out to work. Creche facilities under Palna are provided to all mothers, irrespective of their employment status.
The main aim of the scheme is to provide quality creche facility in a safe and secure environment for children, along with nutritional support, health and cognitive development, growth monitoring and immunization. The scheme also supports the decent work campaign and helps more mothers take up gainful employment by freeing them from unpaid child care responsibilities.
There are two types of creches under Palna: Standalone Creches and Anganwadi cum Creches (AWCCs). For standalone creches, there is a provision of one Creche Worker and one Creche Helper. For AWCCs, in addition to the existing Anganwadi Worker and Anganwadi Helper, a provision for a Creche Helper and a Creche Worker has been made in the Mission Shakti guidelines.
Integrated Package of Services under Palna
The Palna component under Mission Shakti delivers a complete set of services to children aged 6 months to 6 years. These services are designed to support early childhood care, development and nutrition in convergence with Mission Poshan 2.0. The key services include:
- Day care facilities, including sleeping arrangements for children.
- Early stimulation activities for children below 3 years and pre school education for children aged 3 to 6 years.
- Supplementary nutrition, which is sourced locally.
- Growth monitoring, health check ups and immunization support.
Funding Pattern of Palna Scheme
Palna is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, so the funding is shared between the Centre and the State or UT governments. The funding ratio depends on the type of State or UT. The details are given below:
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Scheme Name | Palna Scheme (National Creche Scheme) |
| Launched By | Ministry of Women and Child Development |
| Beneficiaries | Children aged 6 months to 6 years of working mothers |
| Funding Ratio (General States) | 60:40 between Centre and State |
| Funding Ratio (North East and Special Category States) | 90:10 between Centre and State |
| Funding Ratio (UTs without Legislature) | 100% by Central Government |
| Official Website | wcd.gov.in |
Creche Operation and Honorarium
As per the Mission Shakti guidelines, the creche timings need to be flexible depending on the local requirements. Creches shall be open for 26 days in a month and for seven and half hours per day as per the work schedule of the majority of the mothers in the area. The Standard Operating Procedures for Anganwadi cum Creches also state that the creche timings may be decided by the State and UT governments as per local need, but it has to be made sure that the timing should help working mothers.
Creche Workers and Creche Helpers under Palna are honorary workers. There is no provision of salary or wages to them. However, the scheme guidelines have provision for grant of honorarium to Creche Workers and Creche Helpers. The amount of honorarium depends on the type of creche:
- Standalone Creche: Creche Worker gets Rs. 6,500 and Creche Helper gets Rs. 3,250 per month.
- Anganwadi cum Creche (AWCC): Creche Worker gets Rs. 5,500 and Creche Helper gets Rs. 3,000 per month.
States and UTs may provide an additional amount of honorarium to Creche Workers and Helpers as a top up from their own funds. There is no bar or restriction from the Central Government on this.
User Charges under Palna Scheme
User charges are collected to bring in an element of community ownership. The charges are decided on the basis of the income of the family:
- BPL families: Rs. 20 per child per month.
- Families with income of both parents up to Rs. 12,000 per month: Rs. 100 per child per month.
- Families with income of both parents above Rs. 12,000 per month: Rs. 200 per child per month.
Budget Allocation for Palna Scheme
The funds allocated and released under the Palna scheme since its introduction are given below:
| Financial Year | Amount Allocated | Amount Released |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Rs. 35 crore | Rs. 4.68 crore |
| 2023-24 | Rs. 85 crore | Rs. 64.15 crore |
| 2024-25 | Rs. 150.11 crore | Rs. 43.66 crore (as on December 2024) |
Each creche is ideally limited to a maximum of 25 children to maintain quality care and individual attention. Creches must be situated close to either the residential areas of the children or the workplaces of the mothers, preferably within 0.5 to 1 km walking distance. This helps parents in emergencies and in regular pick up and drop off.
Monitoring of Palna Scheme
Regular and strict monitoring is conducted at different levels to make sure the Palna Scheme runs well and the eligible people get the services as planned. Monitoring of the scheme is being done through meetings and video conferences with the officials of State Governments and UTs. Ministry officials also carry out field visits to check the status of implementation of the scheme.
As of February 2025, 1,761 Anganwadi cum Creches are operational with 28,783 current beneficiaries. Besides this, 1,284 Standalone Creches are also operational across the country with 23,368 current beneficiaries.
Official Website and Guidelines
For the latest information on the Palna Scheme, eligible people can visit the official website of the Ministry of Women and Child Development at wcd.gov.in. The detailed guidelines of the Palna Scheme under Mission Shakti are available in the PDF shared by the Department of Women and Child Development at wcd.delhi.gov.in.
What is the Palna Scheme?
Palna Scheme is the revised and renamed version of the National Creche Scheme. It provides day care facilities to children aged 6 months to 6 years of working mothers under the Samarthya sub scheme of Mission Shakti.
Who can get benefit under the Palna Scheme?
Children aged 6 months to 6 years of working mothers can get benefit under the scheme. Creche facilities are provided to all mothers, irrespective of their employment status.
How much is the user charge under the Palna Scheme?
BPL families pay Rs 20 per child per month. Families with income of both parents up to Rs 12,000 per month pay Rs 100 per child per month, and families with income above Rs 12,000 per month pay Rs 200 per child per month.