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Education

What is Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan? India’s Integrated School Education Scheme Explained

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan is India’s integrated school education scheme. It brings pre-school through Class 12 under one funding framework instead of three separate programmes, and covers teacher training, digital classrooms, girls’ hostels and vocational education. Enrolment numbers have climbed close to universal because of it. But children are not learning at the same pace they are enrolling and that’s the harder problem the scheme is still working through.

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan

Summary

  • Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, launched in 2018, merged Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Teacher Education into one scheme covering pre-school through Class 12.
  • Funding follows a fixed centre-state ratio, from 60:40 in most states to 90:10 in the north-eastern and Himalayan states, with full central funding for Union Territories without a legislature.
  • The scheme funds the school as a whole, from library grants and teacher training to digital classrooms, girls’ hostels and vocational education from Class 9 onward.
  • Enrolment and infrastructure have climbed close to universal levels, but Annual Status of Education Report data shows learning outcomes have not kept pace with access.
  • Samagra Shiksha 2.0 aligns the scheme with NEP 2020, adding NIPUN Bharat, the Holistic Progress Card and the new 5+3+3+4 curricular structure.
  • What the scheme’s own data leaves out, migrant and tribal children especially, is where grassroots efforts like Smile Foundation’s still have work to do.

“If there is inequality in nature, still there must be equal chance for all… the weaker should be given more chance than the strong.” — Swami Vivekananda

That idea, giving more support to whoever has less, is exactly what Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan tries to do, more than a hundred years later.

What Is Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and Why Was It Introduced?

Before 2018, school education in India ran through three separate government schemes. Each one had its own rules and its own budget, and paperwork rarely matched between them. A child moving from Class 8 to Class 9 could lose benefits overnight, simply because the scheme for elementary school did not carry over to secondary school.

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan was introduced to fix that. The Union Budget of 2018-19 proposed treating school education as one whole, from pre-nursery all the way to Class 12, instead of splitting it up by age. The Department of School Education and Literacy launched the scheme on 24 May 2018. It now works as a single framework for almost every government and government-aided school in the country.

The scheme’s vision is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education from pre-school to senior secondary, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for Education. SDG-4.1 calls for free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education with real learning outcomes. SDG-4.5 calls for eliminating gender disparities and ensuring equal access to education.

Samagra Shiksha mainly exists to help states carry out the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009. Education is a fundamental right in India, protected under Article 21-A of the Constitution.

Historically, three schemes fed into it. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, from 2001, covered elementary education for children aged six to fourteen and drove much of India’s early gains in school enrolment. Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, added in 2009, extended that support to secondary education, for students aged fourteen to eighteen. A third scheme, Teacher Education, funded teacher training institutions like DIETs and SCERTs.

Each of these schemes had its own Project Approval Board and its own state-level society running it. That meant duplication at every level, and schools had to juggle several different sets of rules to educate the same child from one class to the next. Samagra Shiksha brought all three under one administrative structure, so a school now deals with a single set of rules instead of three.

Key Components and Focus Areas of the Scheme

Instead of supporting one class level at a time, Samagra Shiksha treats the whole school as one unit. A school running Classes 1 through 12 gets one package of funding, not three separate grants pulling in different directions.

People often call this the two Ts approach, teachers and technology. Library grants, sports equipment, sanitation, all of it sits under this same push to raise quality and equity together.

Infrastructure, Teacher Training and Quality Improvement

What this covers:

  • Library grants for every school, ranging from about five thousand to twenty thousand rupees depending on size.
  • Teacher training through DIETs and SCERTs, backed by structured modules under NISHTHA.
  • Composite school grants for repairs, sanitation, and basic upkeep.
  • Digital initiatives such as Operation Digital Board, smart classrooms, and the UDISE+ data system.
  • Support for Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan, which encourages science and maths learning at the school level.
  • The Scheme of Vocationalisation of School Education, run under this umbrella, offering a vocational subject alongside general education for Classes 9 to 12.

This funding is meant to lift quality across every government school, even the ones with fewer resources to begin with.

Equity, Inclusion and Gender Focus

The scheme also looks out for groups that have often been left behind in Indian classrooms:

  • Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas offer residential schooling for girls from Class 6 to 12 in educationally backward blocks.
  • Self-defence training for girls, recently renamed Rani Laxmibai Atma Raksha Prashikshan, runs from the upper primary stage onward.
  • Children with special needs receive support for aids, appliances, and home-based education where they cannot attend school in person.
  • Uniform and textbook allowances under the Right to Education Act help reduce the cost burden on low-income families.

This is one reason people point to Samagra Shiksha when they talk about gender and equity in education scheme design across South Asia.

How Is Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan Funded?

Samagra Shiksha is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, so funding comes from both the union government and the states. How much each side pays depends on where the school is.

  • 90:10, in the centre’s favour, for the eight north-eastern states and three Himalayan states.
  • 60:40 between the centre and the state for everyone else with a legislature.
  • 100 percent from the centre for Union Territories that don’t have their own legislature.

The budget has grown alongside this. It started at around 32,600 crore rupees in the scheme’s first year and has crossed 41,000 crore in recent estimates. But not all of that sanctioned money reaches classrooms, and how much actually gets spent varies a lot from state to state.

How Samagra Shiksha Aligns With NEP 2020

The National Education Policy of 2020 replaced the old 10+2 school structure with a new 5+3+3+4 model, covering foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary stages. Samagra Shiksha 2.0, the scheme’s current phase running from 2021 to 2026, was rebuilt around this.

A few things got added along the way, including NIPUN Bharat, a national push to get every child reading and doing basic arithmetic by the end of Grade 3, and Vidya Pravesh, a three-month module that eases young children into school through play. The Holistic Progress Card now looks at more than exam scores, and PARAKH, the national assessment body, is meant to standardise how states measure learning. None of this alignment work is finished yet, states are still rolling it out at different speeds.

Impact of Samagra Shiksha on School Education in India

Samagra Shiksha now reaches around 1.16 million schools, roughly 15.6 crore students from pre-school through Class 12, and about 57 lakh teachers across government and government-aided institutions.

Primary-level enrolment sits near 99.6 percent today, up from around 80 percent when Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan began in 2001. Secondary-level enrolment has climbed to roughly 79.6 percent, up from about 40 percent two decades ago. Schools without toilets have dropped below one percent, and the girls’ drop-out rate at the elementary stage has fallen under two percent.

However, learning hasn’t kept pace with these numbers. The 2023 Annual Status of Education Report found that just 43 percent of Class 5 students nationally could read a Class 2-level text, and only 45 percent of Class 8 students could solve a basic division problem. Children are in school, but many still aren’t learning what their grade expects.

Smile Foundation’s Mission Education programme works inside government schools on this problem directly, running remedial classes, science clubs, and teacher support in places where scheme funding alone hasn’t closed the gap.

Challenges in Implementing Samagra Shiksha at Scale

A few things are holding the scheme back:

  • Teacher vacancies: India has over 11 lakh unfilled teacher posts in government schools, so many states end up relying on short-term contract hires instead.
  • Underspending: several states, especially in the north-east and central India, spend well under their approved yearly allocation because they don’t have the capacity to get civil works done on time.
  • Funding gaps: Accountability Initiative found that in 2021-22, states were allocated about 3,967 rupees per student, but actually spent closer to 2,543 rupees.
  • Excluded children: learning levels in tribal districts lag behind neighbouring areas, and children of migrant farm workers often stay out of school because no teacher speaks their language.
  • Competition from private schools: government school enrolment keeps dropping relative to private schools, especially at the secondary level in cities and towns.

Fixing these gaps needs stronger execution on the ground, not just a bigger budget line.

How Smile Foundation’s Work Complements Government School Education Efforts

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan sets the policy and the funding. Organisations like Smile Foundation work alongside it, adding support in the specific gaps this piece has covered, tribal and migrant children, foundational learning, teacher shortages.

Our Mission Education initiative runs science labs, STEM kits and teacher training inside government schools across 27 states. It has reached over 160,000 children so far. She Can Fly keeps girls enrolled through problems like family financial strain or early marriage pressure. STeP builds digital and job skills for young people finishing school.

Smile Foundation works alongside Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, focusing on one child at a time. You can support a child’s education directly or volunteer with Smile Foundation’s programmes in your city.

FAQs

  • What is Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and when was it launched?

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan is India’s integrated school education scheme, launched on 24 May 2018 by the Department of School Education and Literacy. It covers schooling from pre-school through Class 12 under one unified funding framework.

  • Which earlier education schemes were merged into Samagra Shiksha?

The scheme merged Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which covered elementary education from 2001, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, which covered secondary education from 2009 and the Teacher Education scheme, which funded institutions like DIETs and SCERTs. Combining them removed duplicate paperwork and separate approval processes across what used to be three different stages of the same child’s education.

  • What are the main components of the Samagra Shiksha scheme?

Key components include library and school grants, teacher training, digital classroom initiatives, sports equipment support and RTE entitlements like free uniforms and textbooks. It also funds vocational education from Class 9 onward and residential schooling for girls through Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas.

  • How does the scheme address gender and social equity in education?

Samagra Shiksha runs Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, funds self-defence training for girls and provides stipends for girls with special needs. It also gives extra support to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and economically weaker communities to reduce dropout and improve retention.

  • What is the funding pattern for Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan?

As a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, funding is split 90:10 in the centre’s favour for north-eastern and Himalayan states, 60:40 for other states and Union Territories with a legislature and fully centre-funded for Union Territories without one.

  • How is Samagra Shiksha aligned with NEP 2020 goals?

The current phase, Samagra Shiksha 2.0, follows the National Education Policy’s 5+3+3+4 curricular structure and funds NIPUN Bharat, the foundational literacy and numeracy mission for Grade 3. It also supports newer NEP-linked tools like the Holistic Progress Card and the PARAKH assessment centre.

  • What challenges affect the implementation of Samagra Shiksha?

Teacher vacancies above 11 lakh posts, underspending of approved state budgets and gaps in reaching migrant and tribal children are among the biggest hurdles. Several states also struggle to convert sanctioned funds into finished infrastructure within a single financial year.

  • How does Smile Foundation’s education work complement government schemes like Samagra Shiksha?

Smile Foundation works inside government schools through Mission Education, adding remedial classes, science clubs and teacher support in places where scheme funding has not fully closed learning gaps. This kind of local, sustained support makes sure policy funding actually reaches the classroom, where children feel it.

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Categories
Nutrition

What is PM POSHAN Scheme? Meaning, Objectives and How It Replaced Mid-Day Meals

The PM POSHAN scheme is India’s national school meal programme. It gives a free hot cooked meal to over 11.8 crore children in government and government-aided schools, on every school day. Launched in 2021, it replaced and expanded the older Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

PM Poshan Scheme - Smile Foundation

Summary

  • PM POSHAN gives over 11.8 crore children a free, hot cooked meal every school day, across 11.2 lakh government and government-aided schools.
  • The scheme traces back to a 1925 school lunch programme in Madras, growing through Tamil Nadu’s noon meals, a 2001 Supreme Court order, and a 2021 rebrand from the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
  • Nutrition norms are fixed by law, from 450 calories for younger children to 700 for older ones, and states fund and cook the meal in very different ways, from centralised kitchens to women’s self-help groups.
  • Nearly four in ten Indian schoolchildren, those in private unaided schools, receive no meal under the scheme at all.
  • Delayed funds, uneven kitchen infrastructure, and patchy food safety checks remain real problems on the ground.
  • PM POSHAN sits inside a much larger nutrition push, and Smile Foundation’s Mission Education work picks up where the scheme’s reach ends.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” — Virginia Woolf

People have known this for a long time. Nobody thinks well on an empty stomach. A hungry child cannot pay attention to the blackboard, no matter how much they want to learn.

This is the problem the PM POSHAN scheme tries to solve. It is India’s national school meal programme. Every school day, it gives a free hot meal to over 11.8 crore children in government and government-aided schools. The scheme was launched in 2021, when the government renamed and expanded the older Mid-Day Meal Scheme. The goal was simple: feed hungry children and get more of them into the classroom.

Meet Anushka. She is twelve years old, and lives in Uttar Pradesh. She dreams of becoming an English teacher one day. Ask her how she gets through a full day of school and she will point to her lunch plate.

That one plate matters more than it looks. This guide explains what the scheme means, why it started, who it helps and where it still needs to do better.

What is the PM POSHAN Scheme and when was it launched?

PM POSHAN stands for Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman. The Ministry of Education runs the scheme along with state governments. Every day, children from Bal Vatika, the pre-primary stage, right up to Class VIII get one hot, cooked meal in government and government-aided schools.

The scheme got its current name in September 2021. Before that, it was called the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. Today it reaches about 11.8 crore children across 11.2 lakh schools, and the National Food Security Act of 2013 backs it by law.

School meals in India are not a new idea. The Madras Municipal Corporation started serving tiffin to poor children back in 1925. Tamil Nadu took this further over the years. In the 1960s, Chief Minister K. Kamaraj ran his own school lunch programme. By 1982, Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran had turned it into a noon meal for the whole state.

The Centre took this national on 15 August 1995, under a scheme called the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education. In its early days, families just received dry rations at home. Then in 2001, the Supreme Court stepped in and made cooked meals compulsory across the country.

How is PM POSHAN different from the Mid-Day Meal Scheme?

PM POSHAN is not a brand new scheme. It is the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, renamed and expanded in September 2021. But the changes go beyond the name.

For the first time, Bal Vatika, or pre-primary, children joined the scheme. Schools started building kitchen gardens to grow their own vegetables, and the scheme introduced Tithi Bhojan, where communities sponsor special festival meals. Social audits became compulsory in every district, and states moved toward real-time, technology-based monitoring instead of paper registers.

Objectives of the PM POSHAN Scheme

PM POSHAN has a few clear goals. It wants to improve child nutrition in government and government-aided schools, and get children from poorer, more disadvantaged homes into class regularly.

It also aims to cut down on classroom hunger, so children can actually pay attention to their lessons. There’s a social side to it too, children from different backgrounds sit down and share the same meal. And in areas hit by drought or disaster, the scheme keeps that support going even through school holidays.

Who is eligible under PM POSHAN?

Eligibility is simple. Children in Bal Vatika, or pre-primary classes, attached to government primary schools qualify, and so do children in Classes I to VIII in government and government-aided schools. The scheme also covers children in local body schools, Special Training Centres, and madrasas and maqtabs supported under Samagra Shiksha.

Private unaided schools are not covered. That is why nearly four in ten Indian schoolchildren get no meal under this scheme at all. We’ll shed some more light on that further down.

How PM POSHAN supports Nutrition and School Attendance

A hot meal does more than fill a stomach. It also gives a family one more reason to send their child to school.

The National Food Security Act fixes the nutrition norms for the scheme. Here is how they break down by food group.

Norm (per child, per school day)Bal Vatika / PrimaryUpper Primary
Calories450 kcal700 kcal
Protein12 grams20 grams
Foodgrains100 grams150 grams
Pulses20 grams30 grams
Vegetables50 grams75 grams
Oil and fat5 grams7.5 grams

The scheme is centrally sponsored. Most states share the cost with the Centre in a 60:40 ratio. Northeastern and Himalayan states, along with Jammu and Kashmir, get a 90:10 ratio, and Union Territories without a legislature get full central funding. For 2026-27, the PM POSHAN scheme budget stands at roughly Rs 12,750 crore.

Every state cooks and serves the meal in its own way. Tamil Nadu runs 403 centralised kitchens with Akshaya Patra, and serves eggs five days a week. Odisha relies on over 6,500 women’s self-help groups under Mission Shakti. Rajasthan’s Annapurna Mata scheme puts mothers on a rotating cooking and monitoring roster, and West Bengal funds eggs or chicken twice a week from its own state budget.

A school meal only goes so far if a child does not eat well at home too. That is where Smile Foundation’s nutrition work comes in, reaching children that programmes like PM POSHAN do not.

The Role of Kitchen Gardens and Tithi Bhojan

How nutrition and demographic dividend are linked

Two ideas make PM POSHAN work better on the ground. Kitchen gardens let schools grow their own vegetables. This cuts costs, adds fresh produce to the menu, and gives children a hands-on lesson in where food comes from.

Tithi Bhojan invites families and community members to sponsor a special meal on festivals or personal occasions. Both ideas run on the community pitching in.

Challenges in implementing PM POSHAN on the ground

A programme feeding this many children is bound to run into problems. Fund releases to states get delayed sometimes, and that hits meal quality and consistency. Close to a quarter of schools still cook over firewood instead of cleaner LPG, and kitchen infrastructure, storage and hygiene standards vary a lot between states.

Food safety checks do not reach every school equally either. Private unaided schools, which enrol close to 40% of India’s schoolchildren, stay outside the scheme entirely.

How PM POSHAN connects to India’s larger Nutrition Goals

PM POSHAN does not work alone. It sits alongside other government nutrition programmes for children and mothers. POSHAN Abhiyaan, launched in 2018, targets stunting, underweight prevalence and anaemia, while Anganwadi Services, under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme, supports children under six.

Mission Poshan 2.0 strengthens the nutritional content and delivery of these programmes together, and the Poshan Tracker app now monitors outcomes for crores of beneficiaries in real time.

The numbers show some progress. Stunting among children under five fell from 35.5% to 29.3% between the last two National Family Health Surveys. Severe wasting fell from 7.7% to 5.2% over the same period. But UNICEF still counts India among the countries carrying the world’s heaviest child malnutrition burden. That is why school meals still matter, and why India needs a wider child nutrition policy too.

How Smile Foundation supports Child Nutrition and School Health

PM POSHAN reaches government and government-aided schools. Many children learn elsewhere, in informal learning centres, bridge schools and community classrooms, and the scheme does not reach them.

Smile Foundation works with these children instead. Its Mission Education programme pairs schooling with nutritional support, growth monitoring and regular health check-ups. It also works with parents, to build better feeding habits at home.

Its Nutrition for Education campaign has reached thousands of children across states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal, offering meals built around each child’s age and calorie needs.

A scheme this size cannot reach every child on its own. You can support a child’s education and nutrition with Smile Foundation, or get in touch to volunteer with our programmes in your city.

FAQs

  • What is the PM POSHAN scheme and when was it launched?

The PM POSHAN scheme is India’s national school meal programme. It provides one hot cooked meal to children in government and government-aided schools. It was launched in September 2021, replacing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

  • How is PM POSHAN scheme different from the earlier Mid-Day Meal Scheme?

PM POSHAN scheme added pre-primary children, kitchen gardens, Tithi Bhojan, social audits and tech-based monitoring, none of which existed under the old name.

  • Which students are eligible under the PM POSHAN scheme?

Children in Bal Vatika and Classes I to VIII in government and government-aided schools are eligible. This includes local body schools, Special Training Centres and madrasas supported under Samagra Shiksha. Private unaided schools are not covered.

  • What are the main objectives of PM POSHAN scheme?

PM POSHAN scheme aims to improve child nutrition, encourage regular school attendance, and reduce classroom hunger. It also promotes social equity by bringing children from different backgrounds to share the same meal.

  • What challenges affect the implementation of PM POSHAN scheme in schools?

Delayed fund releases, uneven kitchen infrastructure and inconsistent food safety monitoring remain common challenges. Many schools also still cook on firewood instead of LPG, which affects hygiene and efficiency.

  • How does PM POSHAN scheme help improve school attendance and retention?

A guaranteed meal gives families, especially poorer ones, a strong reason to send children to school regularly. Researchers have linked mid-day meal coverage to lower dropout rates and better attendance, particularly among girls.

  • Does PM POSHAN scheme cover students beyond primary school?

PM POSHAN scheme currently covers children up to Class VIII. A Parliamentary panel has recommended extending coverage to Class 10 immediately, and to Class 12 within five years, along with adding a light breakfast.

  • How does Smile Foundation contribute to child nutrition and school health?

Smile Foundation’s Mission Education programme supports children outside PM POSHAN Scheme’s reach, in informal learning centres and underserved communities. It combines nutritional support, growth monitoring and health check-ups with schooling.

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Categories
Insights

What is FCRA Registration? Meaning and Why It Matters for NGOs in India

Rural classrooms in India

Summary

FCRA registration is an important regulatory requirement for eligible NGOs in India seeking to receive foreign contributions. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) regulates how foreign contributions are received, accounted for and utilised by organisations in India. This blog explains what FCRA registration means, why it matters, the compliance responsibilities it creates for NGOs, and how it shapes the relationship between international donors, civil society and the government. It also looks at Smile Foundation as an example of an FCRA-registered organisation and how foreign contributions can support social-development programmes within a structured governance and reporting framework.

Key Takeaways

  • FCRA registration allows eligible Indian NGOs to receive foreign contributions, subject to prescribed conditions and compliance requirements.
  • FCRA regulates how foreign contributions are received, accounted for, utilised and reported.
  • NGOs receiving foreign contributions must meet ongoing requirements, including annual returns, financial reporting and auditing.
  • FCRA registration is distinct from an NGO’s basic legal registration as a trust, society or Section 8 company.
  • Smile Foundation’s FCRA registration illustrates how foreign contributions can support education, healthcare, nutrition and community-development programmes within a regulated framework.

Regulating Civil Society

For many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in India, any form of international support can be an important contribution towards their programmes. This support especially helps when in the form of funding owing to how funds can be beneficial to key causes like education, healthcare, environmental protection, human rights, community development, among others. But an Indian NGO cannot simply accept money from an overseas donor. It must comply with a legal framework that governs how foreign contributions enter the country and how they are used. This is where the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) comes in.

Administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the law regulates the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions by associations and organisations in India. Its stated purpose is to ensure that foreign funds are not used for activities considered detrimental to national interest. FCRA registration is valid for five years, and registered organisations must apply for renewal in accordance with the prescribed requirements. Organisations receiving foreign contributions are also subject to ongoing compliance requirements, including annual return filings and prescribed financial reporting.

The origins of FCRA lie in the political anxieties of the 1970s, when concerns about foreign influence over Indian political and social life were becoming increasingly prominent. The first Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act was enacted in 1976, during the Emergency. Its underlying concern was that foreign money should not be allowed to influence political processes or activities in ways considered contrary to national interest.

The legislation was subsequently amended, and the present framework emerged with the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, which replaced the 1976 law. Today, the Ministry of Home Affairs describes the purpose of FCRA as regulating foreign contributions and ensuring that their acceptance is not used for activities detrimental to the national interest.

This is where FCRA registration becomes important. An NGO may be legally registered in India as a trust, society or Section 8 company, but that does not by itself permit it to accept foreign funding. It must obtain FCRA registration or, in certain circumstances, seek prior permission from the government for a specific foreign contribution. Registration is therefore best understood as a regulatory gateway. It permits an eligible organisation to receive foreign contributions subject to the conditions of the FCRA framework, while also placing it within a system of financial reporting, auditing, banking and regulatory oversight.

A Pertinent Source of Funding

India’s non-governmental organisations operate through a diverse funding ecosystem rather than a single source of income. Their resources may come from government grants, individual giving, domestic philanthropic foundations, corporate social responsibility initiatives, crowdfunding and, where permitted under law, overseas donors. This financial support enables NGOs to undertake work that extends beyond direct service delivery. They can strengthen access to constitutional freedoms of association, bring marginalised communities into public and policy conversations, and advocate for greater transparency and accountability in institutions. Many organisations also contribute research, technical expertise and implementation capacity to government programmes, while building the skills and participation of communities themselves. In this sense, the NGO sector occupies an important space between the state and citizens: it delivers services, generates knowledge, facilitates participation and ensures that the experiences of groups often excluded from formal decision-making enter public discourse.

FCRA becomes relevant within this broader funding landscape because it provides the regulatory framework through which eligible Indian organisations can receive and use foreign contributions. For NGOs, this creates an additional layer of financial responsibility, but it can also make international philanthropic support a more structured and accountable source of funding. FCRA regulates the receipt and utilisation of such contributions and establishes reporting and compliance requirements for organisations that receive them. At its best, FCRA can therefore serve a dual purpose: safeguarding against the misuse of foreign contributions while enabling legitimate organisations to channel international resources towards social and developmental needs.

How FCRA Compliance Works

FCRA registration does not provide an unrestricted right to receive or use foreign contributions. Organisations receiving foreign contributions must comply with requirements concerning how funds are received, maintained, utilised and reported.

Under the post-2020 framework, foreign contributions must initially be received through a designated FCRA account at the State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. Organisations may also maintain additional FCRA utilisation accounts with eligible scheduled banks, subject to applicable requirements.

The framework also restricts the transfer of foreign contributions from one association to another. In addition, administrative expenses are subject to a statutory ceiling of 20% of foreign contribution received during a financial year, unless permitted otherwise in accordance with the Act and applicable rules.

Organisations must also file annual returns electronically in Form FC-4, along with prescribed financial statements and certifications. These requirements make continuing compliance an important part of maintaining FCRA registration.

FCRA Registration in India

A Useful Example: Smile Foundation

A useful example is Smile Foundation, which is registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs under FCRA and uses foreign contributions to support a range of social-development programmes.

Smile Foundation is registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division (FCRA Wing), Government of India, under FCRA registration number 231660712. Its current governance disclosures state that its renewed FCRA registration is valid until 1 April 2029.

Smile Foundation also publishes FCRA-specific income and expenditure statements as part of its wider financial transparency and governance disclosures. Its published FCRA financial statements show expenditure across initiatives including Mission Education, Action for Children, Swabhiman, nutrition, Smile on Wheels mobile healthcare and relief and disaster response.

The example illustrates how overseas philanthropy can be translated into sustained social-sector interventions within the regulatory framework governing the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions. For organisations working on issues that require long-term investment, such funding can complement domestic philanthropy and government support, allowing programmes to reach communities and operate at a scale that may otherwise be difficult to sustain.

Smile Foundation’s FCRA registration is one component of its broader governance framework. Its public disclosures include information about its FCRA registration, financial statements and audit arrangements, allowing donors and other stakeholders to understand the regulatory framework within which foreign contributions are managed.

A Tightening Regulatory Environment

The significance of FCRA has become particularly visible in recent years as the government has intensified scrutiny of organisations receiving foreign contributions. Registration can be denied, suspended, cancelled or allowed to lapse, and organisations without valid registration or applicable prior permission cannot legally receive foreign contributions. This tightening has had consequences for the financial sustainability of parts of India’s civil-society sector. The government has argued that stronger regulation is necessary to prevent diversion and misuse of foreign funds and to ensure that contributions are used for their declared purposes.

Yet the debate around FCRA is not only about financial compliance. It concerns the larger question of how much institutional space civil-society organisations should have to operate independently. For an NGO whose work depends substantially on international grants, losing FCRA registration can have consequences far beyond the loss of a particular funding stream. It can affect staff, programmes, research, community partnerships and long-term planning. The problem can be particularly acute for organisations working in areas where domestic philanthropy remains limited.

This is why FCRA has increasingly become part of a wider debate about the shrinking financial space available to Indian NGOs. Between 2019 and 2021, 1,811 FCRA registration certificates were cancelled, according to a parliamentary response. The result is a civil-society environment in which foreign funding is available, but increasingly conditional on extensive regulatory compliance.

Why FCRA Still Matters

It would be a simplification to understand FCRA either as an unnecessary restriction on NGOs or as merely a mechanism for preventing misuse of foreign money. Its importance lies precisely in the tension between these two positions. Foreign funding can create genuine risks. Transparency about donors, expenditure and organisational finances is an important part of a functioning civil society. But regulation also has consequences for who gets to participate in public life. If compliance becomes so demanding that smaller organisations cannot sustain it, or if the loss of registration effectively prevents an organisation from continuing its work, then FCRA begins to shape financial accountability and the composition of civil society.

This makes FCRA a juncture where state, philanthropy and civil society intersect. For NGOs, it determines access to an important source of funding. For donors, it determines which organisations they can legally support. And for the state, it provides a mechanism through which foreign money entering the country can be monitored.

The larger question is how that regulation can preserve financial transparency without weakening the independent social institutions that depend on such funding to do their work. Nearly fifty years after FCRA first emerged, that question continues to remain unresolved. Understanding FCRA, thus, means understanding how the country negotiates the difficult boundary between national interest, financial accountability and the autonomy of civil society.

Smiling woman and boy together outdoors

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is FCRA registration?

FCRA registration is an authorisation that allows eligible organisations in India to receive foreign contributions, subject to the requirements of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.

2. Why is FCRA registration important for NGOs in India?

FCRA registration enables eligible NGOs to legally receive foreign contributions while requiring them to comply with prescribed rules relating to receipt, utilisation, accounting and reporting.

3. Is FCRA registration the same as NGO registration?

No. Registration as a trust, society or Section 8 company does not automatically allow an organisation to receive foreign contributions. Eligible organisations need FCRA registration or, where applicable, prior permission.

4. How long is FCRA registration valid in India?

FCRA registration is generally valid for five years, after which it must be renewed in accordance with the prescribed requirements.

5. What are the compliance requirements for NGOs with FCRA registration?

FCRA-registered organisations must comply with requirements relating to designated bank accounts, financial records, utilisation of foreign contributions, auditing and annual return filing.

6. Can an NGO receive foreign contributions without FCRA registration?

An organisation generally needs FCRA registration to receive foreign contributions. However, it may be possible to receive a specific foreign contribution through prior permission from the government, subject to the applicable requirements.

7. How does FCRA registration affect international donors?

FCRA registration helps determine whether an Indian NGO is authorised to receive foreign contributions. International donors should also review the organisation’s financial disclosures, governance practices and programme information as part of their due diligence.

Categories
Education Insights

STEM Toys and Play-Based Learning: Building Scientific Thinking in Early Childhood

National Technology Day 2026: History, Theme and India's Journey in Science and Innovation

As technology rapidly transforms our society, one truth stands out: nurturing scientific thinking must begin early, and it cannot be left solely to formal education. As India’s economy embraces technology, there’s a growing push to introduce children to STEM — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — from the very start. Many parents, bombarded by adverts for coding robots and “smart” toys, wonder if they’re missing the boat without these tools. But the thing: scientific thinking isn’t born in a box. It grows when children are free to ask “what if?” and to get their hands a bit dirty along the way through play-based learning.

The journey starts with play that is curious, inventive, and often chaotic, where children ask questions, make discoveries and build the skills they’ll need for the future. Play is where curiosity takes shape, mistakes are made and ideas are tested (sometimes with a bit of mess thrown in for good measure).

Play-based learning - Smile Foundation

Why STEM Toys Matter in Early Childhood

STEM toys have become a buzzword, but their true value lies in the way they bring science, technology, engineering and mathematics into a child’s everyday world. Playing, whether it’s building a bridge with blocks, programming a simple robot or solving a puzzle, teaches kids problem-solving skills, logical reasoning, teamwork and creative thinking. This direct approach is especially effective for Indian families. We are a society that is about to undergo rapid modernisation, yet is firmly rooted in tradition. STEM toys and activities provide a safe space for kids to experiment, fail and learn through doing.

The Power of Everyday Objects

A common misconception is that meaningful STEM learning demands pricey kits or digital subscriptions. In reality, some of the richest STEM experiences arise from the simplest materials. Indian homes are filled with everyday treasures: cardboard boxes, old spoons, plastic bottles, spare buttons, bits of string. These objects invite children to invent, test and rebuild. The lack of fixed instructions encourages planning, experimentation and perseverance, which are habits at the very heart of scientific thinking.

This, too, is a deeply Indian tradition. Watch any child in a rural courtyard stack earthen pots or a city child fashion a toy from discarded packaging, and you’ll see young scientists at work. Through this kind of open-ended, resourceful play, children develop resilience, creativity and the confidence to ask, “What if?”

Building Scientific Thinking in Early Childhood

Scientific thinking is not a mysterious process reserved for laboratories; it is an everyday skill that grows from observation, curiosity and reflection. When children play, they are constantly experimenting, mixing water with soil, building towers or sorting objects by shape and colour. Each activity prompts questions: Why did this sink? What happens if I use a different material? How can I make this stronger?

Through such inquiry, children naturally practise the scientific method: they observe, hypothesise, test and refine their understanding. The process matters more than the outcome. Whether a bridge collapses or stands firm, the child is learning to investigate, adapt and persevere.

In India, this approach is particularly relevant. Our children inhabit diverse environments, such as urban flats, small towns, rural villages, yet the impulse to tinker and explore is universal. The biggest challenge is to nurture it, not smother it with too many rules or rote-learning.

How Adults and Teachers Can Help

The adults in a child’s life are crucial to igniting scientific thinking. Parents, grandparents and teachers are not there to provide all the answers. Instead, they can act as facilitators — asking open-ended questions, encouraging children to explain their thinking and celebrating both small discoveries and big failures. A simple “What do you think will happen if…?” can turn a routine moment into an opportunity for critical thinking.

But supporting children’s scientific curiosity demands more than goodwill. Adults and teachers must themselves understand the value of inquiry-based learning. Teachers in particular need access to ongoing professional development — workshops, peer learning circles and practical resources that show how to guide hands-on, inquiry-led activities in diverse settings.

Parents, too, benefit from guidance. Community groups, local NGOs and educational organisations can all play a role, offering simple toolkits, demonstrations or parent-child workshops that demystify STEM play and build confidence. And let’s not forget policy. If governments invest in early-years teacher training and officially support playful, exploratory learning, it sends a strong message that curiosity is valued just as much as exam results.

The Role of Stakeholders

No single group can create a culture of scientific thinking alone. Ultimately, policymakers, educators, community groups and the private sector all have a role to play in helping those on the front lines. The government’s investment in early years education should focus on teacher professional development and resources for families. India’s rich legacy of craftsmanship and innovation can be harnessed to incentivise local businesses and toy makers to develop inexpensive, culturally relevant STEM toys and kits.

Community centres, libraries and museums can provide after-school clubs, hands-on exhibitions and free play spaces, ensuring that STEM learning isn’t confined to those who can afford private classes or expensive products. Media campaigns can help change societal attitudes by promoting curiosity, experimentation, and perseverance as essential Indian values.

STEM education

Recognising High-Quality STEM Toys and Experiences

Not all toys are created equal. The best are age-appropriate, durable, open-ended and relevant to a child’s daily life. Increasingly, Indian toymakers are rising to the challenge, creating innovative products that draw on local traditions and materials. Yet, what matters most is not the cost or the brand, but whether a toy or activity invites children to explore, persist and create.

Beyond Scientific Thinking

Learning through play does more than build future engineers or scientists. It cultivates confidence, resilience and a collaborative spirit. Inclusive, hands-on activities break down gender and social stereotypes, opening doors for all children, regardless of background or ability. These experiences equip them for life.

Taking Play-Based STEM Learning to More Children

The principles of play-based and inquiry-led learning become even more important when we consider children who have limited access to specialised educational resources. A child should not need to attend a well-resourced private school or have an expensive STEM kit at home to experience the excitement of building, testing, questioning and discovering. Making these opportunities accessible is an important part of creating a more equitable STEM ecosystem in India.

Smile Foundation’s Mission Education programme offers one example of how this can work at scale. Rather than treating STEM as a separate subject, the programme integrates STEM learning with activity-based education, digital learning, teacher development and efforts to strengthen learning environments for children from underserved communities. In 2025, Mission Education introduced STEM Labs at 32 locations, engaging more than 22,000 students in experiential learning through science experiments, robotics and model-based projects.

The emphasis is on learning by doing. Through STEM labs and DIY activity kits, children can build, test, observe and modify their ideas rather than simply memorising scientific concepts. Smile Foundation has also used mobile STEM laboratories to take these experiences beyond schools with permanent infrastructure. Its STEM on Wheels initiative, supported by the BMW India Foundation, brings robotics models, innovation kits, digital learning tools and hands-on experimentation to underserved schools and communities.

This is particularly relevant to the idea that STEM learning does not have to begin with expensive technology. A DIY activity can be a starting point for understanding a much bigger concept. Smile Foundation’s STEM interventions use hands-on activities to connect scientific ideas with children’s everyday surroundings, helping them move from “What is this?” to “How does this work?” and eventually to “What could I change?”

The organisation has also created opportunities for children to encounter forms of STEM that may otherwise seem distant from their lives. Through its collaboration with IIT Bombay, students from Mission Education centres have participated in workshops covering robotics, 3D printing, aero-modelling, astronomy, energy and Tinkerers’ Laboratory activities. Hundreds of children have benefited from these workshops with more workshops continuing to give students opportunities to build, experiment and engage directly with advanced scientific and technological concepts.

The experience matters for another reason: exposure changes aspiration. When a child who has never encountered a robotics laboratory gets to build a robot, experiment with electronics or explore astronomy, STEM stops being an abstract idea associated with someone else’s future. It becomes something they can imagine themselves doing.

But equipment alone cannot create this shift. Teachers are central to the process. Smile Foundation’s education programme invests in teacher capacity-building, including activity-based and experiential learning, child-centric pedagogy, classroom management and the effective use of technology. In 2025, 1,142 teachers participated in 244 training sessions under Mission Education.

This reflects an important principle for early STEM education: the most valuable STEM resource in a classroom may not be the robot, tablet or laboratory— it may be the adult who knows how to turn a child’s question into an investigation.

Smile’s partnerships also demonstrate how different organisations can contribute to this ecosystem. Collaborations with institutions such as IIT Bombay and Symbiosis Institute of Management have enabled students to explore robotics, coding, electronics, mechanics, aero-modelling, astronomy and other areas, while partners such as Elements have supported STEM lab infrastructure, DIY kits, teacher training and digital learning resources.

Equity is another important part of this work. Access to STEM is not only a question of geography or income; gender can shape whether children see themselves as belonging in science and technology. Smile Foundation has therefore also used mentorship and role-model exposure to encourage girls from underserved communities to consider STEM pathways. Through its partnership with BT Group and the British Asian Trust, adolescent girls have interacted with women working in technology and digital fields, helping make STEM careers more visible and attainable.

The journey can extend beyond the classroom as well. Science clubs, innovation fairs and challenges give children opportunities to collaborate, develop ideas and present solutions to real problems. Smile Foundation’s Annual Innovation Challenge, supported by BMW India Foundation, involved 100 students developing 25 working prototypes addressing social and environmental challenges. Such experiences take STEM from learning about problems to designing solutions.

Taken together, these initiatives point to a broader understanding of STEM education. It is not simply about putting a laboratory in a school or giving a child a coding lesson. It is about creating an ecosystem in which children have access to tools, opportunities to experiment, teachers who can facilitate inquiry, role models who expand their aspirations and spaces where their ideas are taken seriously.

That is also why the principles of play-based learning matter. Whether a young child is building a tower from blocks or an older student is constructing a robot, the underlying process is remarkably similar: observe, imagine, test, fail, rethink and try again. The equipment becomes more sophisticated with age, but the scientific mindset begins with the same simple invitation: “What if?”

Path Forward for India

Getting kids to think as scientists starts with interest, support and the freedom to explore, whether it’s with garden pebbles, a science experiment in the kitchen or an afternoon of making up stories. We must make sure that every child has a place to wonder, tinker and discover, at home, at school and everywhere else. Our job is to trust their play, invest in those who guide them, and watch them build a future none of us can yet imagine.

Partner with us and gift play-based STEM Education to children with less or no opportunities in life.

Sources:

FAQs

1. What is play-based learning?
Play-based learning is an approach where children learn through exploration, experimentation, problem-solving and interaction rather than relying only on direct instruction or memorisation.

2. How does play-based learning support STEM education?
Play-based learning encourages children to observe, ask questions, test ideas and find solutions. These are foundational skills for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

3. Can everyday objects be used for play-based STEM learning?
Yes. Simple materials such as cardboard, bottles, blocks, string and household objects can encourage children to build, test, measure, sort and experiment without requiring expensive STEM toys.

4. What role do teachers and parents play in play-based learning?
Adults can support play-based learning by asking open-ended questions, encouraging children to explain their ideas, allowing them to experiment and treating mistakes as opportunities to learn.

5. Does play-based learning require expensive STEM toys or technology?
No. While STEM labs, robotics and digital tools can expand learning opportunities, meaningful play-based learning can begin with simple, readily available materials and activities that encourage curiosity and experimentation.

6. How is Smile Foundation supporting STEM and play-based learning?
Through its Mission Education programme, Smile Foundation supports experiential STEM learning through STEM labs, DIY activity kits, mobile STEM learning, robotics, digital tools, teacher training and innovation-focused activities for children from underserved communities.

7. Why is play-based learning important for children from underserved communities?
Play-based learning can provide children with opportunities to experiment, solve problems and build confidence, particularly when they have limited access to specialised educational resources. Equitable access to hands-on learning can also help broaden children’s aspirations and interest in STEM

Categories
Girl Child Insights Women Empowerment

Women in AI: Closing India’s Gender Gap in Artificial Intelligence Careers

Women in AI India remain a minority, crowded into the very roles automation is disrupting fastest, even as they earn nearly half the country’s STEM degrees. From invisible role models and classroom pressure to hiring bias and career breaks, several barriers hold women back from AI careers.

Women in AI

Summary

  • Women in AI India remain a minority, concentrated in the administrative and operations roles that AI automation is disrupting fastest, even as they earn nearly half the country’s STEM degrees.
  • The gender gap builds in stages, starting from school and thinning steadily through engineering admissions, hiring and leadership.
  • Women already lead real technical work in Indian AI, from speech recognition to fintech to climate modelling, but stay largely unnamed and unseen.
  • The barriers are rooted in access and confidence rather than ability, from unequal coaching and device access to unconscious bias and unsupported career breaks.
  • Government and industry programmes, from AI by HER to IIT’s reserved seats for women, are already narrowing the gap where they’ve reached.
  • More women in AI means fewer blind spots in the technology itself, technology that already shapes hiring, healthcare and how India is heard.

Picture the last AI Summit panel, hackathon lineup, or founder photo you scrolled past. How many women were in it? Women in AI India are still crowded into administrative, customer support and operations roles, exactly the functions AI is automating fastest.

They earn nearly half the country’s STEM degrees, but far fewer of them end up in tech jobs, closer to a third. That’s the real distance, and when we give women the right support, it starts to close.

Take Anshu Sharma, 23. She runs marketing single-handedly at a Bengaluru startup, “doing it all,” in her words, from social media and PR to community events. Three years in, that effort has paid off. Her firm now finances her courses in AI applied to marketing reflecting a shift already underway, more women begin adding AI skills to their existing careers.

The numbers here are genuinely cheering. Indian women lead the world in AI skill penetration, scoring 1.9, ahead of the US, Canada and the UK. India also tops global generative AI course enrolments, women’s share climbing to 33.5% in 2025.

What hasn’t caught up yet is everything after the certificate: the hiring, the promotions, the leadership seats. This piece looks at what’s already working to close that gap, and what still needs fixing.

Why Is there a Gender Gap in India’s AI Workforce?

The gap builds in stages. Girls and boys enrol in near equal numbers through school, trailing by only about 9 percentage points nationally. That changes once STEM enters the picture, where girls face a gap of roughly 20 percentage points in choosing science over other streams, and by the time they reach an engineering degree, women’s share has fallen to about 29%.

When daughters choose colleges, families weigh safety, hostel distance and marriage timelines. Unpaid care work eats into study and practice time, hour by hour, until there is little of either left. And because senior women in artificial intelligence are rarely visible, many girls never picture themselves in the field at all. As one professor put it, when people picture an AI engineer, “most of us still imagine a man.”

Ask most people to name who is driving India’s AI moment, and the list comes back almost entirely male. Coverage of India’s AI sector keeps repeating that women are barely present in the field, a claim that quietly erases the ones already building it, even inside the industry’s own conversations about itself.

There are a lot of women already working in AI, namely, Preethi Jyothi, at IIT Bombay, is building speech recognition systems that work for India’s regional languages and accents, work most AI labs skip because English still dominates the training data. Hardika Shah built myKinara, an AI lending platform that has moved over Rs 4,500 crore in collateral-free loans to small businesses. Anima Anandkumar’s models now forecast weather worldwide. Yet hardly anyone knows them.

Is Climate Change More Cruel towards Women?
Is Climate Change More Cruel towards Women?

What Does the Latest Data Tell Us About Women in AI?

The latest available figures, spanning 2024-2026, show a mixed picture. Here is where women in AI stand:

  • Women hold 36% of jobs in India’s tech industry.
  • About 44% of employed Indian women use AI tools daily, slightly ahead of men at 40%.
  • Globally, 29.4% of professionals listing AI engineering skills in 2025 were women, up from 23.5% in 2018, with the gap narrowing in 74 of 75 economies.
  • Women earn 44% of India’s STEM degrees, yet make up under 30% of engineering and dedicated AI course enrolments.
  • Women are just over 28% of the global STEM workforce against 47% of non-STEM workers. In India, women hold near 30% of entry level tech roles but only 14% to 19% of executive ones.
  • Women are roughly 43% of India’s ChatGPT users, against a slight majority globally, a gap that reflects access rather than behaviour.
  • Women’s share of India’s GenAI course enrolments rose from 31.2% in 2024 to 33.5% in 2025, with higher completion than men.

What Barriers Do Women in AI Face Entering AI and Data Science Careers?

Research increasingly points to differences in access, exposure and confidence not ability as important contributors to the gap.

Education Pipeline Gaps

India’s STEM to AI pipeline narrows early. Women reach near parity in the sciences. Fewer make it into the engineering and computing courses that actually feed AI jobs. Entrance coaching often means travel, hostels or late hours, which many parents permit more readily for sons.

When IITs added supernumerary seats for women in 2018, enrolment rose from under 10% to nearly 20% within four years. Many girls still don’t have a laptop or reliable internet, in a field that’s learned by doing.

Women in AI are six times more likely to choose the beginner course over the intermediate one, even with the skills for the harder one thereby showing how underconfident they are.

Workplace and Bias Challenges

Bias in tech hiring shows up in small ways that add up, from a panel without a single woman to a referral network that mostly reaches men. The bigger leak comes later, when maternity breaks get treated as a career penalty, and women coming back find no structured path to the skills they missed.

What Is Being Done to Close the Gap?

Government and industry are both doing something here, and parts of it are actually working.

Scholarships and Skilling Programmes

MeitY runs AI by HER with NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform, backing women-led AI teams with Rs 25 lakh awards. AI Careers for Women, a Skill Development Ministry partnership with Microsoft, adds a 240 hour curriculum through women’s colleges in smaller towns, aiming to reach 20,000 learners.

Courses taught by women draw more women in, about 7% more and beginner-friendly courses tied to real work fill fastest. Women moving into AI-enabled roles see an average pay jump of 145%.

However, none of this reaches a girl who left school too early to use it. That’s where Smile Foundation’s education work begins, years before any of these programmes come into play.

Mentorship and Returnee Initiatives

Role models move enrolment numbers on their own and mentorship, with clear milestones, lifts completion further. Case studies across South Asia point the same way: early exposure plus a visible woman mentor keeps girls in technical fields.

For women returning after a break, some of India’s tech firms now run returnship pathways, live projects paired with a mentor. But few of these programmes are universal yet and asking about them in an interview is still fair game.

Why More Women in AI Benefits Everyone

AI learns from what it’s shown, the same as anyone does. So, when voice systems mishear women, or health tools get trained mostly on male data, that’s not really an accident. To fix these one-sided biases, we need more women in AI.

Stanford’s Fei-Fei Li, often called the godmother of AI, said it plainly years ago: technology this pervasive should “carry the values of the entire humanity.” Leave out whole populations from the building of it, and you get a biased one. That’s just how it works.

Companies that ignore gender parity in AI are cutting themselves off from half the available talent, and the economics back this up too. Women are expected to drive close to 45% of India’s climb toward a 30 trillion dollar economy by 2047.

How Smile Foundation Supports Girls in STEM

That talent pipeline starts long before any job application. It often comes down to whether a girl keeps up with maths and science, or quietly drops both. Smile Foundation’s Mission Education works at that stage, running science clubs, STEM kits and teacher training in government schools across the country.

None of this closes the gap on its own. Every girl who stays in a science classroom a little longer, and every mentor who says yes to one more student, are part of what reduces the gap. You can also support a girl’s education or reach out to volunteer your time with Smile Foundation’s programmes.

FAQs

  • What percentage of AI professionals in India are women?

There is no single official count, because AI roles sit inside broader technology categories. Women hold 36% of jobs in India’s tech industry, and globally 29.4% of professionals listing AI engineering skills are women.

  • Why is there a gender gap in India’s AI and technology workforce?

The gap builds in stages rather than at one point. Girls choose AI subjects at school in near equal numbers, but their share drops through engineering admissions, hiring and promotions. Safety concerns, care work, device access and few visible role models each remove some women along the way.

  • What are the biggest barriers women face entering AI careers?

The main barriers are access and confidence rather than ability. Coaching, hostels and devices are granted less readily to daughters, hiring carries unconscious bias, and career breaks are penalised. Women are also six times more likely to pick beginner courses over intermediate ones, even with matching skills.

  • What skilling programmes exist to help women enter AI careers in India?

AI by HER, run by MeitY’s IndiaAI with NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform, funds and mentors women-led AI teams. The IITs reserve supernumerary seats that lifted women’s enrolment to nearly 20%. Employer-backed AI upskilling programmes and low-cost online courses add flexible entry points for working women.

  • How do mentorship and returnee programmes help women grow in tech careers?

Mentorship raises enrolment and completion, and courses with women instructors attract about 7% more female learners. Returnships, now spreading across Indian tech firms, give women structured projects and mentors after a break.

  • Why does diversity in AI teams matter for better technology?

AI systems learn from the data and judgement of the people who build them. Teams without women have shipped voice tools that mishear female speakers and health models trained largely on male data. Diverse AI teams catch these blind spots earlier and build products that work for everyone.

  • How can parents encourage girls to pursue STEM and AI early?

Keep maths and science open as long as possible, and treat a laptop or shared computer as her tool too. School data shows girls already choose AI electives at near parity when offered. Science clubs, coding camps and stories of women engineers turn that interest into a real option.

  • How does Smile Foundation support girls in STEM education?

Smile Foundation’s Mission Education supports over 160,000 children across 27 states, with STEM labs, science kits, clubs and teacher training in government schools. Its She Can Fly initiative helps girls stay enrolled through disruptions, and the STeP programme builds digital and employability skills among underserved youth.

Sources:

Categories
Insights Skill Development

Building Powerful Careers Through STeP Programme: From Skills to Salaries

Data Matics Report

For a young graduate looking for a first job, a degree can sometimes feel like the beginning of the search rather than the end of it. The qualification may be there, but the job market asks for something more: familiarity with the workplace, confidence in an interview, communication skills, digital competence and an understanding of what employers actually expect.

For young people from underserved communities, that gap can be particularly difficult to navigate. Education may provide the foundation, but without access to industry exposure, professional networks or practical training, the transition from college to employment can remain uncertain.

This is the gap that the Smile Twin e-Learning Programme, or STeP Programme, has been trying to address since its launch in 2007.

The programme takes a broader view of skill development. Its premise is that preparing young people for work is not simply about teaching them a technical subject. It is also about helping them communicate, make decisions, handle interviews, understand professional expectations and develop the confidence to enter a workplace.

At the STeP Programme centre supported by Datamatics in Mumbai, that approach took shape across four training terms between June 2025 and May 2026. During the reporting period, 249 young people were reached through community mobilisation and outreach. Following screening and counselling, 160 graduates and undergraduates were enrolled and trained in a three-month programme focused primarily on the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance sector.

By the end of the reporting period, 93 young people had secured employment across a range of companies and sectors.

Behind those numbers are young people making a transition that can alter the direction of their working lives.

STeP Programme - Smile Foundation

The first step is finding the right young people

Before training begins, there is another challenge: finding young people who know about the opportunity and are ready to take it up.

Between June 2025 and May 2026, STeP Programme’s mobilisation efforts included community visits, door-to-door campaigns, awareness sessions and targeted WhatsApp outreach. These activities reached 249 young people and introduced them to the programme, its training and the employment opportunities that could follow.

The selection process was structured. Interested applicants were assessed, and candidates scoring 70% or above were shortlisted for one-to-one counselling. These conversations looked beyond test scores to understand candidates’ aspirations, motivation and readiness for the programme.

Ultimately, 160 young people enrolled across four terms: 40 in the first term, 35 in the second, 42 in the third and 43 in the fourth.

The consistency of those numbers matters because a skills programme begins long before the first classroom session. It begins by persuading a young person that the opportunity is worth pursuing and that the training can lead somewhere.

For many participants, the destination was employment in a sector they may previously have known little about.

Learning what the workplace demands through STeP Programme

The three-month STeP programme curriculum was designed around the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance sector, one of the programme’s key employment pathways during the reporting period.

But technical knowledge formed only part of the training.

Participants attended classes six days a week, four hours a day. Alongside domain knowledge, they worked on communication, digital literacy, workplace etiquette, problem-solving, teamwork and professional behaviour. Attendance, assignments and assessments were monitored throughout the programme, while trainers provided individual guidance where additional support was needed.

The idea was to make the transition from classroom to workplace less abrupt.

A young person entering a first job may know the theory of a subject but still be unsure about how to speak to a customer, conduct themselves in an interview, prepare a professional CV or communicate with colleagues. These are not necessarily skills that appear on a college transcript, but they can have a direct bearing on whether a candidate gets through an interview and how well they adapt once hired.

That is why career counselling and industry engagement were built into the programme rather than treated as an afterthought.

During the reporting period, students participated in eight career counselling sessions and four Employee Engagement Programme sessions led by industry professionals.

The subjects ranged widely. There were sessions on interview skills, professional etiquette and public speaking, alongside more technical topics such as Excel formulas and income tax return filing. Students were introduced to careers in the securities market and opportunities in non-banking financial companies. A session on cybercrime and the dark web addressed digital safety and responsible online behaviour.

There were also sessions that dealt with a less measurable but equally important part of entering the workplace: how to manage pressure and uncertainty.

Students learnt about SMART goals, relaxation techniques and mental resilience. The objective was not simply to prepare them for an interview, but to help them think about how they would manage the demands that follow once they get the job.

When training becomes an opportunity with STeP Programme

The measure of a skilling programme ultimately lies beyond the classroom.

During the reporting period, 93 STeP programme participants secured employment across 49 companies. Recruiters came from BFSI, IT and IT-enabled services, retail, hospitality, customer service and business operations.

The BFSI sector was the strongest recruiter. HDB Financial Services alone hired 18 candidates for Sales Officer and Collection Officer roles. Other recruiters included Burman Hospitality/Taco Bell, Semolina Kitchens, Travel Retail, Athena (TATA Capital), Securens Systems, Prodocs and Infinx.

The roles were similarly varied. Participants found positions as Sales Officers, Customer Executives, Associate Analysts, Process Executives, Customer Service Executives, MIS Executives, Back Office Executives, Team Members, Cashiers, Accounts Executives, Field Supervisors, Centre Coordinators and Business Development Officers.

Monthly salaries ranged from ₹12,000 to ₹31,500, with most placed candidates earning between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000.

The final-term placement process was still under way at the end of the reporting period, meaning the 93 placements represent an interim outcome rather than the programme’s final placement figure for the entire cohort.

That distinction is important. Impact is not always neatly finished at the end of a reporting cycle. For a young person who completes training at the end of May, the journey into employment may continue into June or July.

The programme’s own placement target was 70%. Against 160 enrolled participants, that represents a target of 112 placements. The 93 placements achieved during the reporting period therefore show substantial progress, while leaving room for the final-term cohort to move through the placement process.

Julie’s first step into the BFSI sector

For Julie Chittaranjan, employment was about more than finding a first job.

She grew up in a family where her mother was the sole breadwinner after the death of her father. Her mother worked as a housekeeping staff while supporting Julie, her elder sister and their grandparents.

Julie completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree, but she recognised that a degree alone might not give her the industry-specific knowledge or confidence she needed to enter the job market. She joined STeP with an interest in building a career in the BFSI sector.

The programme helped her strengthen her understanding of financial products, customer handling, workplace communication and professional etiquette. It also gave her the opportunity to practise the skills needed to face interviews and work in a corporate environment.

Today, Julie works as a Customer Service Executive in loan selling at Respo Financial Capital Ltd., earning ₹23,750 a month.

Her first job is significant not only because it marks the beginning of a career. It also changes what she can contribute to her family.

As Julie put it: “The course was very detailed and it has helped me gain important knowledge which has helped me kickstart my career in the BFSI industry.”

Shubhi and the meaning of financial independence

Shubhi R. Tiwari entered STeP Programme from a different family situation but with a similar ambition.

While pursuing her third year of B.Com, she wanted to become financially independent and contribute to her family. Her father was the sole earning member, while her mother was a homemaker and her younger siblings were still studying.

Shubhi understood that academic knowledge alone would not necessarily prepare her for a corporate career. She wanted to improve her communication, develop professional skills and gain the confidence to work in a professional environment.

The STeP programme gave her opportunities to practise those skills through classroom learning, practical activities, mock interviews and career guidance.

She is now working as counter staff at Haldiram’s, earning ₹22,271 a month while continuing her graduation.

For Shubhi, employment has already begun to change the role she can play within her family. She is contributing to household income while continuing to build her own education and career.

Her experience captures an important part of what employment-focused skilling can mean. A job is an immediate outcome, but the longer-term change lies in the increased ability to participate in the economic life of a family.

The part that happens outside the classroom

The Datamatics partnership has also added another dimension to STeP Programme through employee engagement and volunteer-led activities.

Participants took part in sessions on SMART goals, relaxation techniques, mental resilience and careers in the finance sector. A Women’s Day session, “Give to Gain”, encouraged young women to recognise their strengths and support one another. Other activities focused on workplace expectations, professional behaviour and managing challenges.

The programme’s graduation ceremony at Datamatics Andheri on 24 May 2026 brought more than 50 young people together, along with Datamatics representatives including its CHRO and CSR manager. Certificates were distributed to participants at the event.

These activities may sit outside the formal curriculum, but they contribute to the same objective: helping young people move from being students to becoming professionals.

What happens when skills meet opportunity

There is a temptation to measure a skilling programme through the number of people trained. That is an important starting point, but it does not tell the whole story.

At the Datamatics-supported STeP Programme centre, 160 young people were enrolled and trained during the reporting period. Ninety-three had secured employment by the end of the period, while placements for the final-term cohort continued.

The numbers tell us about reach and outcomes. The stories of Julie and Shubhi tell us what those outcomes can mean in individual lives.

For one young woman, a first job means entering the BFSI sector after growing up in a household supported by a single mother. For another, it means beginning to contribute financially to her family while continuing her education.

And for the programme itself, the journey does not end with placement.

The aim is to create young professionals who can continue learning, adapt to changing workplace demands and build careers rather than simply secure one job. That is why technical training sits alongside communication, digital skills, career counselling, industry exposure and mentoring.

The partnership between Datamatics and Smile Foundation reflects that broader understanding of employability. Since 2023, the two organisations have worked together to create opportunities for young people from underserved communities through STeP Programme.

The work is practical. A young person is identified, assessed and counselled. Training follows. Industry professionals enter the classroom. Students practise interviews, learn workplace skills and understand different career pathways. Employers then become part of the final stage of the journey.

Some participants are still waiting for their first job. Others have already begun.

For Julie, it is a customer service role in the financial sector. For Shubhi, it is a position at Haldiram’s alongside her studies. For the 93 young people placed during the reporting period, it is the beginning of working lives that will continue to develop long after their three months at STeP have ended.

That is perhaps the most useful way to think about skill development: not as a short course that ends when the certificate is handed over, but as a bridge between what a young person knows and what they can go on to become.

The classroom is only the beginning. The real test is what happens when the young person walks out of it and into the world of work.

FAQs

1. What is the Smile Twin e-Learning Programme (STeP)?
The Smile Twin e-Learning Programme (STeP) is Smile Foundation’s skill development and employability programme for underserved youth. It combines industry-aligned technical training with communication, digital literacy, workplace readiness, career counselling, mentoring and placement support.

2. Who does the STeP programme support?
STeP focuses on young people from underserved communities, including graduates and undergraduates, with particular emphasis on women, first-generation learners and economically disadvantaged families.

3. What skills do young people learn through STeP?
The programme combines technical knowledge with employability and life skills. Training includes areas such as BFSI knowledge, communication, digital proficiency, workplace etiquette, critical thinking, teamwork, interview skills and professional development.

4. How does STeP help young people find jobs?
Alongside classroom training, participants receive career counselling, interview preparation, resume guidance, industry exposure and employer engagement. These activities help participants understand workplace expectations and prepare for employment opportunities.

5. How many young people were trained and placed through the Datamatics-supported STeP programme?
During the June 2025–May 2026 reporting period, 160 young people were enrolled and trained across four terms. By the end of the reporting period, 93 had secured employment, while placements for the final-term participants were still in progress.

6. What kinds of jobs did STeP participants secure?
Participants found employment in roles including Sales Officer, Customer Executive, Associate Analyst, Process Executive, Customer Service Executive, MIS Executive, Back Office Executive, Cashier, Accounts Executive and Business Development Officer. Employers came from sectors including BFSI, IT & ITES, retail, hospitality and customer service.

7. How does the Datamatics partnership support STeP?
Since 2023, Datamatics and Smile Foundation have partnered to create skilling and employment opportunities for underserved youth. The partnership supports a dedicated STeP centre in Mumbai, where participants receive industry-aligned training, mentoring, career guidance, industry exposure and employment support.

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Smile CSR Education Partners In Change Partnerships

STEM Education: Preparing Children for the Next Space Age

Accessible and Equal STEM education

Summary

  • India’s space economy is expanding
  • STEM education – Science, technology, engineering and mathematics equip children with problem-solving, innovation and critical-thinking skills.
  • Inclusive STEM education can help bridge gaps in technology, infrastructure and opportunity.
  • CSR can accelerate STEM access.
  • Only by giving every child access to STEM education today can help create the diverse and skilled talent to help India’s technology economy

India’s space story is entering a new chapter. What was once largely associated with government-led missions is increasingly becoming a broader ecosystem of private enterprises, start-ups, research institutions and young innovators. As India looks towards a future shaped by advanced technology, human spaceflight, satellite applications and a growing private space economy, one question becomes increasingly important: Who will build this future?

The answer cannot come from a small pool of students with access to the best schools, laboratories and technology. India’s space ambitions will need a much wider talent pipeline—one that includes children from rural communities, underserved schools and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

This is where STEM education becomes critical.

India’s Space Ambitions Need a Stronger Talent Pipeline

India’s space ecosystem has expanded rapidly in recent years. According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the number of registered space start-ups has grown from just one in 2014 to around 440 in 2026. India’s space economy is currently valued at approximately USD 9 billion and is projected to reach USD 40–45 billion over the next decade. Private investment has also risen nearly six-fold, from USD 100.5 million in 2021–22 to USD 618.5 million by March 2026. 

The significance of these numbers extends beyond the space sector itself. They signal the emergence of new career pathways across satellite technology, electronics, robotics, data science, propulsion, engineering, telecommunications, Earth observation and other technology-driven fields.

The government has also strengthened the ecosystem through reforms that enable greater private participation. By mid-2026, 113 authorisations had been granted to 52 Non-Government Entities, including start-ups, for activities such as satellite operations, payload development and launch services. 

India is therefore not simply preparing to send more missions into space. It is building an economy around space technology. And this modern robust economy will require young people of India to be prepared to imagine, experiment, solve problems and create.

Why STEM Education Matters

STEM education is about developing the ability to ask questions, understand how things work, test ideas, learn from failure and find solutions.

These are precisely the skills that a technology-driven economy demands.

A child experimenting with a simple DIY model is learning more than a scientific concept. They are developing curiosity. A student programming a basic robot is learning computational thinking and problem-solving. A classroom activity involving measurement, design and construction brings mathematics and engineering into a tangible context.

This approach transforms learning from memorising answers to discovering possibilities.

For India’s emerging space economy, such capabilities are foundational. The country’s future requirements will span highly specialised areas such as

  • Spacecraft systems
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Robotics
  • Propulsion
  • Remote sensing
  • Materials science 
  • Satellite communications

But the pipeline for these careers begins much earlier. It begins with children developing confidence in science and technology.

The Space Dream Must Reach Rural India

India’s space ambitions can be truly transformative only when the opportunity to participate in them is inclusive.

A child in a remote village may have the same curiosity about the Moon as a child in an urban private school. What may differ is access—to a science laboratory, trained teachers, digital resources, experiential learning and exposure to technology.

This is where the conversation around STEM education in India must move beyond urban institutions and specialised programmes. Inclusive STEM education means ensuring that children from underserved communities encounter science not merely as a textbook subject, but as something they can explore and create with.

It means a student should be able to ask, “How does a satellite work?” and have the opportunity to build a model. It means a girl from a rural school should be able to see engineering, robotics or space science as possible career choices rather than distant professions meant for someone else.

The challenge is significant. 

Schools in India’s underserved communities continue to face gaps in infrastructure, digital access, teacher capacity and exposure to experiential learning. And addressing these gaps is essential, particularly when India wants its future technology workforce, to reflect the diversity and potential of its population.

Making Learning Experiential with STEM

The answer is not necessarily to replicate expensive urban laboratories everywhere. It is to create learning environments where children can experiment with the resources available to them.

Mobile STEM laboratories, DIY activity kits, digital classrooms, locally relevant learning materials and teacher training can help bring experiential education closer to underserved communities.

Teachers are central to this transformation. Technology cannot replace an inspired educator who knows how to turn a question into an investigation.

Training teachers in inquiry-based and activity-based learning can help classrooms become spaces where children are encouraged to ask why, how and what if. Such methods can strengthen scientific temperament while making learning more engaging and relevant.

This is also where organisations working at the grassroots can play a meaningful role by connecting educational policy and community-level implementation.

The Role of CSR in Building India’s STEM Future

The scale of India’s STEM challenge makes collaboration essential. Government programmes can establish policy direction and public infrastructure, while educational institutions can contribute knowledge and research. The private sector brings technology, expertise and resources.

This creates a significant opportunity for CSR education in India.

CSR for education in India can move beyond supporting conventional access to schooling and contribute to the quality and relevance of learning itself. Furthermore, investments in STEM laboratories, digital classrooms, teacher training, robotics and innovation programmes can help underserved schools prepare children for an increasingly technology-led economy. Such interventions become especially meaningful when they are designed for long-term capacity building rather than one-time exposure.

For example, a STEM lab creates greater impact when teachers are trained to use it effectively, students regularly engage with hands-on activities and learning is integrated into the broader school environment. CSR partnerships can therefore help bridge the gap between access to education and access to opportunity.

Building STEM Access Through the Grassroots

At Smile Foundation, this approach is reflected through efforts to make learning more experiential for children from underserved communities.

Through its education interventions, including Mission Education, Smile Foundation works with children and communities to strengthen access to quality learning. Its STEM-focused initiatives have included establishing STEM laboratories, providing DIY activity kits and supporting digital classrooms. Teacher capacity-building is also an important part of the approach, with training focused on inquiry-based and activity-based pedagogy, classroom management and child-centric teaching.

The larger objective is not simply to introduce technology into a classroom. It is to create an environment where children develop the confidence to engage with it.

That distinction matters.

Because the future of India’s space sector will not be built only by those who have access to sophisticated equipment today. It will be built by children who learn to question, imagine, experiment and persist.

Space-ready Generation with STEM education

India’s ambitions are already extending well beyond conventional satellite missions. The country is preparing for future human spaceflight, advanced launch systems, planetary exploration and the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station. The PIB notes that the space station is targeted for operationalisation by 2035, while Gaganyaan aims to build capabilities for human spaceflight. 

At the same time, India’s space capabilities are increasingly connected to everyday life; from navigation and communications to agriculture, infrastructure, disaster management and environmental monitoring. This means the impact of space technology will not remain confined to scientists and astronauts, it will increasingly shape the way communities live, work and solve problems.

And therefore, preparing children for this future, is not about expecting every child to become an astronaut. It is about ensuring that every child has the opportunity to become a problem-solver, innovator, engineer, researcher, entrepreneur or informed citizen in a technology-driven India.

Partnership for India’s STEM Education

India’s space story began with ambitious dreams and limited resources. Today, those dreams are evolving into a dynamic ecosystem of public institutions, private companies and start-ups.

But the next leap will require something even more valuable than technology: talent that is diverse, curious and widely distributed.

The child who looks at the night sky from a metropolitan city and the child who looks at it from a remote village are looking at the same universe. Their opportunities to explore it, however, should not be determined by where they were born.

CSR support for Inclusive STEM education in India can help close that gap.

If India wants its space economy to become a national success story, its investment must begin long before a child enters an engineering college. It must begin in the classroom—with curiosity, experimentation, access and the freedom to imagine.

Because India’s next space breakthrough may already be looking up at the sky and it is our responsibility to make sure that every child has the opportunity to reach for it.

Partner now!

FAQs

1. Why is STEM education important for India’s growing space economy?
STEM education develops critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity and scientific curiosity—skills essential for careers in India’s expanding space and technology ecosystem.

2. What is the role of STEM education in India’s future?
STEM education in India can prepare young learners for emerging fields including artificial intelligence, robotics, satellite technology, engineering, data science and space technology.

3. Why does India need inclusive STEM education?
Inclusive STEM education ensures that children from rural and underserved communities can access the knowledge, technology and learning opportunities needed to participate in India’s future economy.

4. How can STEM education benefit rural children in India?
Hands-on STEM learning, mobile laboratories, DIY kits, digital classrooms and trained teachers can help rural children develop scientific thinking and explore technology-related career possibilities.

5. How can CSR support STEM education in India?
CSR education in India can support STEM laboratories, digital infrastructure, teacher training, experiential learning, robotics programmes and innovation initiatives in underserved schools.

6. What is the connection between CSR education in India and India’s space ambitions?
CSR education in India can help create a wider and more inclusive talent pipeline by giving children early exposure to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

7. How can organisations support STEM education in underserved communities?
Organisations can collaborate with schools, governments, corporates and communities to provide STEM infrastructure, teacher capacity-building, learning resources and experiential programmes.

8. How can STEM education prepare children for future careers?
STEM education helps children build curiosity, collaboration, analytical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills that can support careers across space technology and India’s wider technology-driven economy.

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Delhi Half Marathon

Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026: The Magic When a City Decides to Run Together

Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon

On the third Sunday of October, hours before Delhi properly wakes, the roads around Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will fill with people who have voluntarily agreed to be uncomfortable. A few are chasing a personal best. Most are not. They are there because at some point in the preceding months, someone asked them to run, and instead of finding a reason to decline, they found a reason to say yes.

The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026, the twenty-first edition of the race, flags off on 18 October. Before we discuss what it does for a body, a company or a child in a Mission Education classroom, it is worth asking a simpler question: why does any of this exist at all?

A race that was invented twice

The marathon rests on a story that is almost certainly untrue.

Herodotus, writing within living memory of the Persian Wars, describes a professional courier named Pheidippides dispatched from Athens to Sparta, roughly 240 kilometres, to plead for reinforcements. He mentions no run from Marathon to Athens, no shout of victory, no collapse. Those details surface centuries later in Plutarch and Lucian, and are finally cemented in the popular imagination by Robert Browning’s 1879 poem. By the time the modern Olympics were revived in Athens in 1896 and Spyridon Louis won the first marathon to a stadium’s roar, the legend had hardened into infrastructure.

The distance is no less accidental. Twenty-six miles and 385 yards was fixed at the 1908 London Games so the race could begin on the lawns of Windsor Castle and finish in front of the royal box at White City. A number chosen for the sightlines of a watching family was ratified in 1921 and has governed the ambitions of millions ever since.

This is not a debunking. It is the point. The marathon endured neither because of Greece nor because of a monarchy. It endured because the distance turned out to be a near-perfect instrument for a specific human need — a long, public, entirely voluntary difficulty that anyone may choose, and that nobody can fake their way through.

From solitary suffering to civic festival

Run for a Cause - Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026

For most of the twentieth century, distance running was a minority pursuit: thin men in singlets, watched by almost nobody. The shift came in the 1970s. Frank Shorter’s Olympic gold in 1972 put a marathon on American television; Jim Fixx’s The Complete Book of Running turned it into a phenomenon. And in 1976, Fred Lebow took the New York City Marathon out of its loops in Central Park and routed it through all five boroughs.

That was the true invention. The race stopped being an athletic event held near a city and became an event that happened to a city.

Chris Brasher — pacemaker for Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile — ran New York in 1979 and wrote in The Observer about a metropolis that had stopped to celebrate strangers. Two years later, he and John Disley staged the first London Marathon. Brasher’s most consequential innovation was not the course but the sponsorship form: the pledge sheet, the charity place, the idea that one person’s suffering could be converted into a public good. London is now the largest single-day fundraising event in the world, having crossed a billion pounds in charitable income in 2019.

India’s chapter opened with Procam International — Mumbai in 2004, Delhi in 2005. Two decades on, the Delhi race is a World Athletics Gold Label event, and its philanthropy platform has mobilised more than ₹88.6 crore for over 280 nonprofit organisations. Brasher’s inheritance, running down Kartavya Path.

What 21.1 kilometres actually does to a body

Here is what nobody tells a first-timer: the race is the least important part. The value sits almost entirely in the twelve to sixteen weeks that precede it.

A 2020 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology followed first-time marathoners through six months of ordinary, unglamorous training. Their arteries grew measurably more elastic. Blood pressure fell. The researchers estimated a reduction in “vascular age” of around four years. Tellingly, the largest gains went to the oldest and slowest participants — precisely the people least likely to think of themselves as athletes.

That finding lands with particular force in India. The ICMR-INDIAB study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology in 2023, estimated 101 million Indians living with diabetes, 136 million more with prediabetes, and 315 million with hypertension. These are not diseases of scarcity. They are diseases of chairs — of ninety-minute commutes, longer meetings, and a working culture that quietly treats the body as a container for the brain.

A half marathon is an unusually well-designed intervention against exactly this. It is long enough that you cannot bluff it: you must train, sleep, eat and ration your evenings. It is short enough that it does not demand the near-monastic commitment of the full 42.2 kilometres. Twenty-one kilometres asks for a rearranged life, not a surrendered one.

The mental arithmetic is just as real, and runners describe it more plainly than the literature does: a long, slow Sunday run is one of the very few hours left in the modern week that cannot be interrupted by a notification.

The quiet cure for a lonely city

In 2023 the World Health Organization declared loneliness a pressing global health threat, citing evidence that places chronic social isolation alongside far more famous risks. Between long commutes, gated verticality and the slow disappearance of the neighbourhood, urban India may be the frontier of it.

Which is why the second half of a marathon’s worth has nothing to do with cardiovascular function. For a few hours on a single Sunday, a city agrees to a set of extraordinary rules. Roads belong to pedestrians. Strangers hand you water. Volunteers stand for six hours to help people they will never see again. Someone reads your name off your bib and shouts it. There is almost no other civic occasion in which so many Indians cheer, sincerely and at volume, for people they do not know.

The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026 builds this into its structure: a Charity Corridor along the route carrying the names of fundraising nonprofits, cheering zones staffed by NGO communities, beneficiaries standing at the roadside watching people run in their name. For a morning, the city becomes an argument for itself.

Where a corporate team comes in — and why it is the icing

Everything described above is already worth doing on its own terms. A company that fields a team at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026 has, before a single rupee changes hands, handed its employees a three-month reason to sleep properly and a shared vocabulary that has nothing to do with quarterly targets. Colleagues who train together at 5:30 am tend to discover one another as people. That is the cake — wellness that is measurable, team spirit that isn’t a workshop.

Running with Smile Foundation is the icing.

Smile Foundation runs more than 400 welfare projects across India: Mission Education classrooms, Smile on Wheels mobile healthcare units, STeP livelihood centres, and the Swabhiman programme for women’s health and empowerment — reaching over 15 lakh children and families every year. A corporate team’s contribution goes directly into that work, translating into classrooms staffed, clinic rounds run and young people trained for jobs that exist.

Teams come in four sizes — Team 10, Team 20, Team 50 and Team 80, at ₹2.20 lakh, ₹4 lakh, ₹9 lakh and ₹12.80 lakh respectively — with up to five additional runners available in any category. Two points of practical honesty are worth stating plainly. Race registration fees are separate from the team donation and are paid to the event promoter, Procam International. And under a 2014 Ministry of Corporate Affairs circular, participation in a one-time event does not itself qualify as CSR expenditure under Section 135 — though companies wishing to support Smile Foundation’s programmes through CSR funds can do so alongside their team.

For 2026, corporate registrations close on 18 September, team submissions on 25 September, and race fees are due by 30 September. Race day is 18 October 2026.

The only message worth carrying

Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026

Whatever the historical truth of Pheidippides, the story has survived twenty-five centuries because we recognise something in it. A man running not for himself, but to carry news that mattered to everybody else.

On 18 October, tens of thousands of people will move through Delhi carrying a version of that same message on their chests. Some will run it in ninety minutes. Most will walk parts of it. It will make almost no difference to the value of what they are doing.

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Health

World Mosquito Day 2026: The Science Behind Malaria and Why This Day Matters

Summary

  • World Mosquito Day 2026 highlights the continuing global burden of malaria, despite major advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
  • Understanding how malaria spreads has transformed disease control, helping scientists develop mosquito-control measures, medicines, diagnostic tools and vaccines.
  • India has made significant progress against malaria, with cases and deaths falling sharply between 2015 and 2023, although vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities remain at risk.
  • Prevention starts at the community level, through mosquito nets, reducing breeding sites, awareness, early diagnosis and timely treatment.
  • Last-mile healthcare is critical, ensuring that people in underserved communities can access preventive information, testing and treatment without major geographical or financial barriers.

Every year on 20 August, World Mosquito Day reminds us that one of the world’s smallest creatures can have an enormous impact on human health. The day marks the significant discovery in 1897 by British doctor Sir Ronald Ross that female mosquitoes transmit malaria parasites to humans. Over a century later, mosquitoes continue to remain a major carrier of painful diseases, which can be fatal and affect millions of people around the world.

Mosquitoes are easy to ignore. They are tiny, familiar and often seen as little more than an irritating insect. But many mosquitoes can carry parasites, viruses and other organisms that cause serious diseases. And among that, malaria remains one of the most important examples. Although it is preventable and treatable, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide still die from it every year.

According to the World Health Organisation’s(WHO) latest malaria data, there were an estimated 282 million cases of malaria and 610,000 deaths across 80 countries in 2024. The numbers are a reminder that malaria is not simply a disease of the past but remains a major public health challenge, particularly for communities where healthcare, sanitation and disease-prevention services are difficult to access.

World Mosquito Day is therefore more than a day about an insect. It is an opportunity to understand how malaria spreads, why some communities are more vulnerable than others and what can be done to prevent it.

What is Malaria?

The science behind malaria is surprisingly complex, even though the starting point is a simple mosquito bite.

Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by tiny parasites of the Plasmodium family. These parasites are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. According to WHO, although malaria is mainly found in tropical countries, with the right prevention, it is both preventable and curable.

However, there is an important point to understand here — that not every mosquito spreads malaria. Malaria is mainly transmitted by certain species of female Anopheles mosquitoes. The female mosquito needs blood to help develop her eggs, which is why they bite humans and other animals. If they bite a person already carrying the malaria parasites, the parasites enter the mosquito, and eventually, when that mosquito later bites another person, they transmit the parasites.

Once inside the human body, the parasites travel to the liver and multiply.  They then enter red blood cells, which eventually burst, releasing more parasites into the bloodstream where they continue multiplying.

This repeated process is linked to the fever and chills experienced by many people with malaria.

In some cases, the infection can become severe. A person may develop confusion, seizures, difficulty breathing, severe weakness or organ failure. Without timely treatment, severe malaria can be fatal.

Some parasites can also remain hidden in the liver. Plasmodium vivax, for example, can remain dormant and later reactivate, causing another episode of malaria.

This is why malaria is not simply a matter of treating a fever; proper diagnosis and treatment are essential to clear the parasite from the body.

The WHO’s malaria guidance stresses the importance of early diagnosis and effective treatment. A person with suspected malaria should be tested and treated promptly rather than relying only on symptoms.

The Global Malaria Burden Remains Huge

The world has made significant progress against malaria, but the disease remains a major threat.

The WHO’s World Malaria Day 2026 data reports that there were 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths in 2024. At the same time, there has been remarkable progress since 2000. WHO estimates that malaria interventions have helped avert approximately 2.3 billion cases and 14 million deaths since the beginning of the century.

This means that malaria control works. Bed nets, insecticide spraying, testing, medicines, vaccines and community health programmes have saved millions of lives.

What about India?

India has made considerable progress in reducing malaria.

According to the Government of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, malaria cases in India declined by 80.5% between 2015 and 2023, while malaria deaths fell by 78.38% during the same period. The government also reported that 122 districts recorded zero malaria cases in 2023.

These are significant achievements. India also exited the WHO’s High Burden to High Impact group in 2024, reflecting the country’s progress in malaria control.

However, elimination remains difficult. Malaria is not distributed evenly across India. Certain forested, tribal and hard-to-reach areas continue to face greater risks. Seasonal rainfall, stagnant water, environmental conditions and limited access to healthcare can all influence transmission.

India has historically carried a substantial share of the malaria burden in the South-East Asia Region, and prevention, early diagnosis and complete treatment remain essential.

Why Poverty Makes Mosquito-Borne Diseases Harder to Fight

A mosquito does not discriminate between rich and poor. But the risk of disease and the ability to recover from it are not equally distributed.

A family living in a crowded settlement may have fewer ways to prevent mosquito breeding. Poor drainage can leave standing water around homes. A household may not have proper window screens or may struggle to afford repellents. Someone working as a daily-wage labourer may also hesitate to visit a health centre because doing so means losing a day’s income.

This is where malaria becomes more than a medical problem; it becomes a development problem.

A person who becomes seriously ill may be unable to work. Children may miss school. Families may spend money travelling to hospitals or buying medicines. Repeated illness can therefore create an additional financial burden for households that are already struggling.

This is why malaria prevention must reach beyond hospitals. Communities need information, accessible healthcare, clean surroundings and systems that allow people to get tested and treated without facing major financial or geographical barriers.

Prevention Starts With the Environment

One of the simplest ways to reduce mosquito-borne disease is to reduce opportunities for mosquitoes to breed.

Mosquitoes need water to complete their life cycle. Stagnant water in containers, discarded tyres, drains, coolers and other places can provide breeding sites for some mosquito species.

This does not mean that every mosquito breeding site can be eliminated. But reducing stagnant water around homes and communities can help reduce mosquito populations.

Several measures can be adopted to prevent malaria, including insecticide-treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying in appropriate settings.

Why Awareness is as Important as Treatment

World Mosquito Day 2026

People cannot protect themselves from a disease they do not understand. This is why community awareness is an important part of malaria control. People need to know what malaria symptoms look like, when to seek medical help and why completing treatment matters.

At Smile Foundation, we have previously used our Smile on Wheels mobile healthcare programme to conduct malaria awareness activities in underserved communities. During our World Malaria Day 2023 campaign, our teams conducted awareness sessions across India on keeping surroundings clean, removing stagnant water, using mosquito repellents and seeking appropriate care when someone develops malaria.

This kind of work is particularly important in communities where healthcare facilities may be far away.

Taking Healthcare to the Last Mile

For many low-income families, the biggest challenge is not necessarily the absence of medical treatment but getting to that treatment. A health centre may be several kilometres away. Transport may be expensive. A worker may lose wages by spending a day at a hospital. These barriers can encourage people to delay care.

Our healthcare programme attempts to address this gap by taking primary healthcare services directly to underserved communities.

According to Smile Foundation’s 2024 healthcare impact report, our programme reached more than 12.89 lakh people across 16 states. Our network included 105 Smile on Wheels mobile healthcare units, three static clinics and more than 100 health camps. Our programme also conducts health-awareness activities, including information on vector-borne diseases such as malaria and filariasis.

More recently, we delivered 20 lakh healthcare treatments during the 2025–26 financial year, taking its cumulative number of treatments since 2006 to more than 70 lakh. Our 2026 healthcare update exhibits a model combining mobile healthcare, preventive engagement, digital solutions and efforts to strengthen access to primary care.

For mosquito-borne diseases, this last-mile approach matters. Prevention messages are most useful when they reach people where they live, and early treatment is most effective when healthcare is accessible.

Why World Mosquito Day Still Matters

World Mosquito Day may have started with a scientific discovery more than 100 years ago, but its message remains relevant.

It reminds us that some of the world’s biggest health challenges can come from something as small as a mosquito. It also shows how science can change the course of a disease. The discovery of how malaria is transmitted helped scientists develop better ways of preventing and controlling it. Today, vaccines, improved mosquito nets, medicines, testing and new technologies are taking that work further.

But science alone cannot eliminate malaria. A vaccine must reach a child. A mosquito net must reach a family. A diagnostic test must be available when someone develops a fever. A health worker must be able to reach a remote village. And a person who is sick must be able to afford and access treatment.

That is why World Mosquito Day 2026 is ultimately about people.

FAQs: World Mosquito Day 2026

1. What is World Mosquito Day 2026?
World Mosquito Day 2026 will be observed on 20 August to commemorate Sir Ronald Ross’s 1897 discovery that female mosquitoes transmit malaria parasites to humans. The day also raises awareness about malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases and the importance of prevention.

2. Why is World Mosquito Day important?
World Mosquito Day highlights the continuing public health impact of mosquito-borne diseases. It is also a reminder of how scientific discoveries have improved our ability to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases such as malaria.

3. Which mosquito spreads malaria?
Malaria is mainly transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Not every mosquito spreads malaria.

4. How does malaria spread?
When an infected female Anopheles mosquito bites a person, malaria parasites enter the bloodstream. They travel to the liver, multiply and then infect red blood cells, where they continue multiplying and cause malaria symptoms.

5. How can malaria be prevented?
Malaria prevention includes using insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor residual spraying where appropriate, reducing mosquito breeding sites, keeping surroundings clean, and seeking testing and treatment promptly when malaria is suspected.

6. What progress has India made in reducing malaria?
According to the figures cited in the blog, India’s malaria cases declined by 80.5% and malaria deaths by 78.38% between 2015 and 2023. However, malaria continues to pose a greater challenge in some forested, tribal and hard-to-reach areas.

7. Why is last-mile healthcare important in fighting malaria?
People in underserved communities may face long distances, transport costs and lost wages when seeking healthcare. Bringing healthcare services and malaria awareness closer to these communities can support earlier diagnosis, timely treatment and better prevention.

Categories
In The Spotlight Insights

World Humanitarian Day 2026: Honouring Aid Workers and the Spirit of Humanity

Summary

  • World Humanitarian Day 2026 pledges to protects dignity: Aid is about more than food and supplies. It helps people access healthcare, education, shelter and livelihoods while preserving their dignity.
  • Aid workers operate on the frontlines: Doctors, teachers, volunteers, drivers, community workers and field teams often work in difficult and uncertain conditions to support people affected by crises.
  • Disasters affect vulnerable communities disproportionately: Poverty, fragile housing, limited healthcare and lack of resources can make recovery much harder for already vulnerable families.
  • Recovery must go beyond immediate relief: Sustainable humanitarian response also supports healthcare, education, livelihoods and rehabilitation so communities can rebuild their lives.
  • Humanity continues after the crisis: World Humanitarian Day honours both those who provide support and the courage of communities who rebuild their lives after disaster.
World Humanitarian Day 2026

Every year on 19 August, the world observes World Humanitarian Day, a day dedicated to recognising the people who step forward when others are facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives. From conflicts and floods to earthquakes, disease outbreaks and displacement, humanitarian workers often arrive when normal systems have been disrupted, and people need help the most.

The United Nations describes the day as an opportunity to honour humanitarian workers and stand with people affected by crises around the world.

But humanitarian work is about much more than delivering food, medicines or emergency supplies. At its heart, it is about protecting human dignity when people are at their most vulnerable. It is about making sure that a person who has lost their home is not made to feel that they have lost their worth, that a child affected by a disaster can continue learning, and that a family facing an emergency knows that they are not alone.

As humanitarian crises become more frequent and complex, World Humanitarian Day 2026 is also a reminder of the enormous responsibility carried by those who work on the frontlines. It is a moment to recognise their courage, but also to understand why humanitarian action remains essential to building a more compassionate world.

When Crisis becomes Someone’s Everyday Reality

For many people, a disaster is something they see on the news. A flood, earthquake or conflict may appear on a television screen for a few minutes before everyday life continues. For the people living through it, however, the crisis does not end when the news cycle moves on.

A disaster can mean losing a home, a job, a school, important documents or a loved one. A flood can destroy crops that a family depends on for its income. An earthquake can leave children without schools. Conflict can force entire communities to leave their homes and search for safety elsewhere.

The first response is often about survival: finding food, clean water, shelter and medical care. But the needs do not end there. Once the immediate emergency is over, people have to rebuild their lives. Children need to return to school. Families need livelihoods. Communities need healthcare and safe infrastructure. People also need emotional support as they deal with loss and uncertainty.

This is where humanitarian workers play an important role as they help bridge the gap between an immediate emergency and the long, difficult process of recovery.

Who are the People behind the Humanitarian Action?

While humanitarian workers are often associated with large international organisations, humanitarian action happens at many levels. There is no set definition of who they are, but doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, community volunteers, drivers, field coordinators, rescue workers and local organisations all contribute to the humanitarian response.

Many of them work in difficult conditions and travel through damaged roads, reach communities that are difficult to access or work for long hours in uncertain environments. Working under high pressure and difficult times, they often have to make quick decisions about what people need most urgently.

Yet humanitarian work is not only about responding quickly but also about listening.

People affected by disasters are not simply recipients of help. They have their own knowledge, experiences and priorities. Good humanitarian response therefore involves working with communities rather than simply doing things for them.

This is an important part of the spirit of humanity, to recognise that every person deserves dignity, regardless of their income, background or circumstances.

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Why Humanitarian Work is of Key Importance in India

India is reeling under extreme climatic conditions which often expose our lands and communities to different kinds of disasters, round the year. Floods, cyclones, earthquakes, droughts, landslides and other emergencies affect communities across the country having a double-jeopardy for vulnerable communities in hard-to-reach geographies.

The challenge is particularly serious for people who are already living with poverty. A disaster does not affect everyone equally. A family living in a fragile home or shanties, for example, may have fewer resources to recover after a flood or cyclone than a family with savings, insurance and a secure home. This means that humanitarian response must consider existing inequalities.

A family may need food and water immediately after a disaster, but it may also need help replacing lost documents, restoring a child’s education, accessing healthcare and finding a way to earn an income again.

Humanitarian action therefore cannot stop at relief. Recovery and rehabilitation are equally important.

Smile Foundation: From Immediate Relief to Rebuilding Lives

At Smile Foundation, we believe that humanitarian aid can go beyond immediate relief. Through our Disaster Response programme, we act on emergencies while also focusing on the longer-term needs of children and families affected by disasters.

Our disaster-response work has included responses to several major emergencies in India, including the Kashmir earthquake, the tsunami, floods in different parts of the country and Cyclone Fani in Odisha — where our approach has never been limited to immediate relief, but also supports affected communities through education, healthcare and livelihoods, as our primary responsibility is rebuilding their lives.

This approach is important because relief supplies can help a family survive today, but recovery support can help that family rebuild tomorrow.

Healthcare Cannot Wait During a Crisis

One of the biggest concerns during any disaster is healthcare. When roads are damaged, health centres are inaccessible, or families are forced to move, even basic medical care can become difficult to access.

Our healthcare initiatives, includingSmile on Wheels, have focused on bringing healthcare closer to underserved communities. Our work includes doorstep primary healthcare and efforts to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for vulnerable populations. Its reported 2022–23 impact included more than 10.5 lakh healthcare beneficiaries, with women and children making up 75% of those beneficiaries.

The importance of such services becomes even clearer during emergencies. After disasters, communities may face contaminated water, injuries, infections and the breakdown of normal healthcare systems. Providing medical care quickly can prevent a difficult situation from becoming a much bigger health crisis.

Children Need More Than Relief

Children are among those most affected when disasters disrupt everyday life. Schools may be damaged, families may lose their income, and children may be forced to move to temporary shelters. The loss of routine can affect their learning as well as their sense of safety.

For this reason, humanitarian response must also protect children’s education. Our disaster-response model has included support for children’s education alongside relief and rehabilitation. During its response to floods inJammu and Kashmir, for example, the organisation reported that education had come to a halt after schools were damaged and planned support for camp schools until educational infrastructure could be restored.

This is a reminder that humanitarian aid is not simply about keeping people alive during an emergency. It is also about helping them return to a life with stability, opportunity and hope.

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Humanity Does Not End When the Emergency Does

One of the biggest misunderstandings about humanitarian work is that it begins and ends with disaster relief. In reality, the hardest part can begin after the immediate emergency has passed.

News cameras leave. Relief camps begin to close. Donations may decline. But families still have to rebuild their homes, find work, send children back to school and recover from the emotional impact of what they have experienced.

This is why long-term rehabilitation matters. At Smile Foundation, our experience with disaster response reflects this idea. Our work has included not only emergency supplies but also efforts linked to education, healthcare and livelihoods. In response to the 2004 tsunami, for instance, we moved from immediate relief towards rehabilitation, including education for children, vocational training and support for people with disabilities.

Such an approach reminds us that recovery is not a single event but a journey.

Honouring Those Who Help Others Rebuild

On World Humanitarian Day 2026, we honour the people who choose to stand beside others during their darkest moments. We remember the field workers who travel into difficult areas, the healthcare workers who continue treating patients during emergencies, the volunteers who distribute essential supplies, and the community members who help their neighbours survive and recover.

But we should also remember the people at the centre of every humanitarian response—the families and communities who show remarkable courage in rebuilding their lives.

FAQs

1. What is World Humanitarian Day?
World Humanitarian Day 2026 is observed every year on 19 August to honour humanitarian workers and recognise the people affected by conflicts, disasters and other crises around the world. It also highlights the importance of humanitarian action and the principles of humanity, dignity and solidarity.

2. Why is World Humanitarian Day observed on 19 August?
19 August marks the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 people, including the UN’s Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. The day was established to honour humanitarian workers who have lost their lives while serving others.

3. Who are considered humanitarian workers?
Humanitarian workers include a wide range of people involved in crisis response, including doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, rescue workers, drivers, community volunteers, field coordinators and staff of humanitarian organisations. Local communities and volunteers also play a vital role in humanitarian response.

4. Why is humanitarian work important during disasters?
Disasters can disrupt access to food, clean water, healthcare, shelter, education and livelihoods. Humanitarian workers help meet urgent needs while also supporting affected communities through recovery and rehabilitation.

5. Why does humanitarian response need to continue after an emergency?
The effects of a disaster often last long after immediate relief ends. Families may need help rebuilding homes, restoring livelihoods, accessing healthcare and returning children to school. Long-term recovery support helps communities regain stability and become more resilient.

6. How are children affected by humanitarian crises?
Children can lose access to education, healthcare, safe shelter and stable routines during conflicts and disasters. Displacement and loss can also affect their emotional wellbeing. Humanitarian programmes that combine immediate relief with education, healthcare and protection can help children recover and regain a sense of normalcy.

7. How can people support humanitarian work?
People can support humanitarian efforts by donating to credible organisations, volunteering where appropriate, sharing verified information and supporting long-term recovery initiatives. They can also contribute by understanding the needs and dignity of communities affected by crises rather than viewing them only as recipients of aid.

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