Recent Current Affairs related to Women

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for 5 years from FY27 to FY31, with an outlay of ₹53,428 crore. The programme has been renamed as ‘PM Samajik Sahayata Yojana (PMSSY)’.

Additionally, various sub-schemes under the NSAP have been renamed: the Old-Age Pension sub-scheme (formerly Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme)) is now ‘PM Vridhavastha Pension Yojana’, the Widow Pension sub-scheme (formerly Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme) is now ‘PM Vidhawa Pension Yojana’, the Disability Pension sub-scheme (formerly Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme) is now ‘PM Divyangjan Pension Yojana’, and the National Family Benefit scheme is now ‘PM Parivar Labh Yojana’.

The West Bengal Cabinet has approved the ‘Bhagini Nivedita Scheme’ to provide financial assistance of ₹50,000 to unmarried women pursuing higher education. The scheme is set to be implemented in the state from January 2027.

The Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) has partnered with BRAC International to launch a 3-year initiative named “SAY-SOBLOK” under the Samaveshi Aajeevika Yojana (SAY) and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

The initiative targets 4,000 extremely vulnerable households to promote sustainable livelihoods, economic security, and social inclusion by adapting the national SAY framework to the state.

The Kerala government has launched a women-centric scheme named ‘Women on the Move and Menstrual Needs (WOMN)’.

The scheme aims to improve access to menstrual hygiene products for women and girls during travel, and was introduced at the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus terminal in Thiruvananthapuram.

Anne Carson, a Canadian poet and essayist, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2026 by the Swedish Academy.

She has been recognised for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature. With this, she becomes the 19th woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The award carries a total prize amount of 12 million Swedish kronor (SEK).

The Delhi government has launched the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ campaign, a comprehensive package of healthcare and social welfare initiatives.

As part of the campaign, the monthly incentive for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) is increased from ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 (a 100% hike). The initiative also includes the expansion of ‘Mission ANMOL’ (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife Online) for maternal and child healthcare.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, belonging to the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), has been appointed as the Prime Minister (PM) of Morocco by King Mohammed VI.

She becomes the first woman to hold the office of PM in the country, succeeding Aziz Akhannouch.

Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh have been elevated as judges of the Supreme Court. With their appointments, the working strength of the top court has increased to 37.

Z T Lalrithangi, popularly known as Pi Mari-i, from Mizoram has been selected by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the “FAO 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development” recognition.

Union Minister Amit Shah has launched several cooperative and agricultural initiatives at Kollam in Kerala, organised by the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF).

He inaugurated the ‘Vanitham - She Mart Store’, a women-led cooperative venture to link women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and rural entrepreneurs with consumers.

A tripartite agreement was signed to establish over 300 She-Mart stores across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. These outlets will sell locally sourced goods and subsidized commodities under the newly launched ‘Janah’ brand. Additionally, an MoU was signed with the Bharatiya Matsya Pravartak Sangham to integrate coastal fisheries products into the supply chain under the Janah brand.

Under the ‘Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses’, free seed kits for urad and gram were distributed to women farmers to mark the International Year of the Woman Farmer. The NAFED-Kalyan Scholarship Scheme also provided financial aid to the daughters of registered farmers, benefiting 2,000 families.

The Ministry of Mines launched the PM Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) in 2015 to ensure that mining-affected communities receive developmental benefits.

The scheme has completed 11 years since its inception, with more than 4.7 lakh projects sanctioned at a total valuation exceeding ₹1 lakh crore. Implementation of the scheme is managed through District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).

The Delhi Cabinet, chaired by CM Rekha Gupta, has approved the “Driving Upliftment and Rozgar for Women/Transgender Green E-Auto” (DURGA) scheme to provide dignified self-employment for women and transgender persons.

According to the “M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026” released by Hurun India in collaboration with M3M India, Gautam Adani and family have topped the list with a net worth of ₹9.23 lakh crore.

They are followed by the families of Mukesh Ambani, LN Mittal, Cyrus S Poonawalla, and Roshni Nadar Malhotra. In the entertainment and sports segment, Shah Rukh Khan and family lead with a valuation of ₹10,000 crore. Mumbai has the highest number of individuals on the list with 465 entries, followed by New Delhi and Bengaluru.

According to the 17th edition of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Monthly Bulletin for August 2026 released by the NSO under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the overall unemployment rate (UR) for individuals aged 15+ decreased to 5.0% in August 2026, compared to 5.1% in July 2026.

The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for the same age group increased to 55.6% in August 2026 (up from 55.4% in July 2026). The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) also rose to 52.8% from 52.5% in the previous month.

Sanjukta Parashar has been appointed as the Inspector General (IG) of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite jungle warfare unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

She becomes the first woman officer to lead the 10-battalion CoBRA sector and succeeds Danesh Rana. It is to be noted that the CoBRA sector is headquartered in New Delhi.

According to the 20th edition of the “Global Gender Gap Report 2026” released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), India is ranked 131st out of 145 evaluated nations with a score of 0.645.

Iceland is ranked top for the 17th consecutive year with a score of 0.93, followed by Finland and Norway.

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has presented the eighth edition of the “businessline Changemaker Awards” in New Delhi. Purnima Devi Barman, known as the “Stork Sister”, was named the “Changemaker of the Year” for her work in the conservation of Greater Adjutant Stork and women empowerment.

The “Iconic Changemaker” award was given to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for modernising border infrastructure and Dr. MR Rajagopal for community-based palliative care.

Other winners include ARMAAN for “Digital Transformation” (healthcare via mobile technology), Gourmet Popcornica for “Financial Transformation” (agro-processing), and “Project Sambandh” for “Social Transformation” (aiding bereaved military families).

The National Statistical Office (NSO) has released the inaugural report titled “Unincorporated Sector at the District Level: Insights from ASUSE 2025”. It provides granular data on enterprises across various districts for the first time.

The report highlights that the top 10 districts are concentrated within 4 states: Gujarat, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The top 50 districts are distributed across 12 states.

Joheirry Mola of the Dominican Republic has been crowned Miss World 2026 at the 73rd edition of the pageant held in Nha Trang, Vietnam. She was crowned by Opal Chuangsri, Miss World 2025 from Thailand.

Nikita Porwal from Madhya Pradesh represented India at the international competition. It is to be noted that the Miss World Organisation (MWO) has scheduled the next edition of the pageant to be hosted in Tanzania in 2027.

According to the first-ever district-level estimates of the “Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises” (ASUSE) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Haryana has emerged as the leading state in the informal non-agricultural sector.

It has 7 districts in the top 50 nationally ranked by Gross Value Added (GVA) per worker. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana follow with 6 districts each. The report highlights that 33% of the informal sector activity of India is concentrated in the 50 most productive districts, with 40 of these districts located in just 8 states.

The national average GVA per worker in the informal sector is ₹1.56 lakh. Satara (Maharashtra) recorded the highest productivity at ₹8.7 lakh per worker, followed by Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab) and Tonk (Rajasthan). Telangana and the Northeastern states recorded the highest female participation in the informal workforce.