Union Minister Smt. Annpurna Devi meets Sri Lanka's Women & Child Affairs Minister; India's women-led development model strengthens India–Sri Lanka partnership

📌 Summary:

• Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD) Smt. Annapurna Devi met H.E. Mrs. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Minister of Women and Child Affairs of Sri Lanka, along with members of Sri Lanka's Women Parliamentarians' Caucus during their study visit to India
• Discussions focused on collaboration and exchange of best practices in women-led development, gender equality, maternal and child welfare, care economy initiatives, and women's leadership in governance
• Sri Lankan delegation was briefed on India's key initiatives: Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0; use of digital governance tools for women's safety, empowerment, nutrition and welfare
• Sri Lankan minister appreciated India's programmatic approach, especially convergence and use of technology in last-mile service delivery
• Outcome: reaffirmed shared commitment to women-led development as a partnership pillar in the neighbourhood; meeting concluded with exchange of mementos

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 — International Relations (India and its neighbourhood / SAARC), Neighbourhood First Policy. Also touches GS1 (Women, Society) — exporting India's WCD development model as soft-power diplomacy.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• India's WCD Minister: Smt. Annpurna Devi
• Sri Lanka's WCA Minister: H.E. Mrs. Saroja Savithri Paulraj
• Three Missions discussed: Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0
• Mission Shakti: integrated women empowerment programme with Sambal (safety) + Samarthya (empowerment) verticals
• Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0: integrated nutrition support programme for children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers

🔑 Key Term: Women-led Development — Policy paradigm (championed by India at G20) that places women not just as beneficiaries but as drivers of economic growth, governance, and social transformation.