The National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) has been officially renamed as the Savitribai Phule National Institute of Women and Child Development. The move reflects a renewed focus on region-specific, mission-driven support for the development of women and children across the country.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Annpurna Devi, announced the renaming, describing it as a reaffirmation of the Ministry’s commitment to women and child-centric development across the country.
The Ministry will inaugurate a new Regional Centre in Ranchi, Jharkhand on 4 July as part of its efforts to strengthen outreach and regional capacity-building. The Centre will address specialized training and research needs for the Ministry’s flagship programmes—Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, and Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0—with particular attention to the Eastern region, covering Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal.
Earlier, training requirements for these states were partially met through Regional Centres in Guwahati and Lucknow, often causing logistical hurdles for field functionaries due to long travel distances. The Ranchi Centre is expected to ease these challenges by bringing training and capacity-building closer to over seven lakh frontline workers spread across 115 districts in the region.
The Centre will also offer the Advance Diploma in Child Guidance and Counselling and support research, counselling, and extension activities focused on child development, mental health, and adolescent well-being.
Speaking on the occasion, Annpurna Devi said the renaming of the Institute is a tribute to the legacy of Savitribai Phule, one of India’s pioneering social reformers. The Minister noted that setting up new regional centres will decentralise capacity-building efforts and strengthen the implementation of the Ministry’s flagship programmes at the grassroots level.
“The inauguration of the new Regional Centre in Ranchi marks a major step towards ensuring that no woman or child is left behind in our journey towards Viksit Bharat @2047,” she added.
Headquartered in New Delhi, the Savitribai Phule National Institute of Women and Child Development currently has regional centres in Bangalore, Guwahati, Lucknow, Indore, and Mohali. The Institute serves as the apex body for training, research, documentation, and capacity building in the field of women and child development.
