India’s Care Economy and Women Caregivers 2026

India’s Union Budget 2026-27 aims to build a strong care ecosystem. It plans to train 1.5 lakh multiskilled caregivers in geriatric, core care, and allied skills. These programmes are aligned with the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF). This move addresses India’s growing care needs. However, the Budget overlooks over five million women who already provide essential health and childcare services. These women include Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), Anganwadi workers, and mid-day meal helpers. They are vital to India’s welfare but remain classified as volunteers without formal employment benefits.

Shadow Labour Force in India’s Care System

Women care workers form the backbone of India’s public health and nutrition services. They work continuously in remote and urban areas. Despite their crucial role, they earn only small honorariums. They lack formal contracts, paid leave, and maternity benefits. Support varies across states and is limited to small honorarium hikes or inclusion in national schemes like Ayushman Bharat. This creates a shadow labour force where women’s work is essential yet informal and insecure.

Gendered Nature of Care Work

Care work in India is deeply gendered. The 2024 Time Use Survey shows 41% of women aged 15-59 spend 140 minutes daily on caregiving. Only 21.4% of men spend 74 minutes. Social norms see care as a woman’s domestic duty, not skilled labour. This perception makes care work cheap and informal. It traps women in insecure jobs with little recognition or pay. The state relies on this unpaid or underpaid female workforce to deliver essential services.

Legal and Policy Perspectives

The 2025 Supreme Court ruling in Dharam Singh vs State of U.P. states that recurrent essential work cannot be treated as temporary. This supports demands to convert honorary care roles into permanent jobs. The Budget’s focus on training new care workers misses integrating existing women workers. Extending NSQF-aligned training to ASHAs and Anganwadi workers can upgrade their skills and livelihoods. The International Labour Organisation’s 5R Framework calls for reward and representation of care workers. India must ensure fair wages and a voice for these women.

Reimagining India’s Care Economy

To strengthen the care ecosystem, India must move beyond the ‘volunteer’ label. It needs to formally recognise and compensate women care workers. This requires cultural change and financial investment. Women care workers must be given security, benefits, and participation in policymaking. This will help India build a sustainable, dignified care economy for the future.

Topics for Prelims:

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs)

1. Community health workers in rural India.
2. Provide maternal and child health services.
3. Classified as volunteers with small honorariums.
4. Work includes pregnancy tracking and health education.
5. Demand permanent jobs and better wages.

Anganwadi Workers

1. Part of India’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
2. Provide nutrition, preschool education, and health services.
3. Mostly women working without formal contracts.
4. Receive state-dependent honorariums.
5. Play a key role in child welfare and nutrition.

National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)

1. Government framework for skill development.
2. Defines skill levels and qualifications.
3. Used to train new caregivers in Budget 2026-27.
4. Aims to standardise and certify skills nationally.
5. Potentially applicable to existing care workers.

Questions for Mains:

1. Critically analyse the impact of informal care work on India’s social welfare system and suggest measures for formalisation. [GS-II-Social Justice]
2. Point out the gender-based disparities in care work in India and estimate their effects on women’s economic empowerment. [GS-I-Indian Society]
3. With suitable examples, examine the role of legal frameworks like the Supreme Court ruling in Dharam Singh vs State of U.P. in protecting informal workers’ rights. [GS-II-Constitution of India & Polity]
4. Underline the challenges and opportunities in integrating traditional care workers into formal skill development programmes under the National Skills Qualification Framework. [GS-III-Economic Development]

Answer Hints:

1. Critically analyse the impact of informal care work on India’s social welfare system and suggest measures for formalisation. [GS-II-Social Justice]

1. Informal care work by ASHAs, Anganwadi workers, and helpers is crucial to India’s health and nutrition services but remains unrecognised officially.
2. These workers operate without formal contracts, paid leave, or social security, leading to job insecurity and low morale.
3. Their informal status creates a ‘shadow labour force’ that sustains welfare but limits accountability and quality improvements.
4. Formalisation would ensure fair wages, job security, benefits, and better service delivery outcomes.
5. Measures include converting honorary roles to permanent posts, extending NSQF-aligned training, and implementing uniform national employment standards.
6. Legal backing (e.g., Supreme Court rulings) and budgetary support are essential for integrating informal care workers into formal systems.

2. Point out the gender-based disparities in care work in India and estimate their effects on women’s economic empowerment. [GS-I-Indian Society]

1. Care work in India is highly gendered; women spend nearly double the time on caregiving compared to men (140 min vs 74 min daily).
2. Social norms treat care as a woman’s domestic duty, not skilled labour, leading to undervaluation and informal employment.
3. Women care workers earn meagre honorariums without formal benefits, trapping them in insecure jobs.
4. This disparity limits women’s economic empowerment by restricting access to formal employment, wages, and social security.
5. It reinforces gender inequality by perpetuating unpaid or underpaid labour and reducing women’s bargaining power.
6. Recognition, fair pay, skill development, and legal protections are vital to enhancing women’s economic status.

3. With suitable examples, examine the role of legal frameworks like the Supreme Court ruling in Dharam Singh vs State of U.P. in protecting informal workers’ rights. [GS-II-Constitution of India & Polity]

1. The 2025 Supreme Court ruling stated that recurrent, essential work cannot be indefinitely treated as temporary, protecting informal workers from exploitation.
2. This ruling supports demands to convert ASHA and Anganwadi workers’ honorary roles into permanent jobs with formal benefits.
3. Legal recognition helps secure rights such as minimum wages, maternity benefits, and social security for informal workers.
4. It sets a precedent for other informal sectors, encouraging formalisation and state accountability.
5. However, implementation challenges remain due to fragmented state policies and lack of uniform enforcement.
6. Combined with policy reforms and budgetary allocations, legal frameworks can drive systemic change for informal workers.

4. Underline the challenges and opportunities in integrating traditional care workers into formal skill development programmes under the National Skills Qualification Framework. [GS-III-Economic Development]

1. Challenges include existing workers’ informal status, lack of formal contracts, and diverse skill levels across states.
2. Traditional care workers already perform multi-skilled tasks but lack certification and formal recognition.
3. Integrating them into NSQF-aligned programmes can upgrade skills, improve service quality, and enhance livelihoods.
4. Formal training can lead to better wages, job security, and career progression opportunities.
5. Opportunities arise from Budget 2026-27’s focus on training 1.5 lakh caregivers, providing a framework for inclusion.
6. Requires coordinated policy efforts, cultural shift to value care work, and adequate funding for successful integration.