{"id":76641,"date":"2026-06-12T18:20:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=76641"},"modified":"2026-06-12T18:22:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:52:19","slug":"invisible-care-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/12-06-2026\/invisible-care-work","title":{"rendered":"India&#8217;s Care Economy: Recognising the Invisible Foundation of Development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court&#8217;s 2026 judgment recognising homemakers as <strong>&#8220;nation builders&#8221;<\/strong> and assigning a minimum value of <strong>\u20b930,000 per month<\/strong> to unpaid domestic care work has brought renewed attention to India&#8217;s care economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the Care Economy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The care economy refers to <strong>all paid and unpaid activities <\/strong>related to the care of children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities etc.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Care work forms a critical pillar of<strong> human development, labour productivity, and social welfare systems <\/strong>in modern economies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to the <strong>International Labour Organisation<\/strong>, increasing investments in the care services sector have the potential to generate <strong>475 million jobs<\/strong> globally by <strong>2030.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For India specifically, direct public investment equivalent to <strong>2% of GDP<\/strong> can potentially generate<strong> 11 million jobs<\/strong>, nearly <strong>70%<\/strong> of which will go to women.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e7d6cc\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"875\" height=\"456\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-87.png\" alt=\"care economy\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-76648\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e7d6cc; aspect-ratio:1.9189034837235865;width:556px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-87.png 875w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-87-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-87-768x400.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 875px) 100vw, 875px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Components of India&#8217;s Care Economy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Unpaid Care Work:<\/strong> It includes activities such as<strong> childcare, elderly care, cooking, <\/strong>cleaning, household management, and <strong>care for sick family members<\/strong>, which are essential for family well-being but remain largely unpaid and unrecognised.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Paid Care Work: <\/strong>Paid care work includes services provided by <strong>healthcare workers<\/strong>, nurses, doctors, <strong>ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers,<\/strong> domestic workers, childcare providers, social workers, and caregivers.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These services form an important part of India&#8217;s <strong>social and economic infrastructure.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community Care Services: <\/strong>Community-based care services include support systems provided through <strong>self-help groups, <\/strong>community health workers, and welfare programmes that assist vulnerable populations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is the Demand for Care Services Rising?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Demographic Transition: <\/strong>India\u2019s ageing population is increasing the need for long-term eldercare services.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urbanisation and Migration: <\/strong>Rapid urbanisation and migration are weakening traditional joint family systems. Nuclear families often lack informal support networks for caregiving.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rising Female Workforce Participation: <\/strong>More women entering the workforce has increased the demand for organised childcare and caregiving services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives Related to the Care Economy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS):<\/strong> Launched in <strong>1975<\/strong> to provide early childhood care, nutrition, health services, and preschool education through Anganwadi centres.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Targets children (0\u20136 years), pregnant women, and lactating mothers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provides supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-ups, and preschool education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission): <\/strong>Focuses on reducing stunting, undernutrition, and Anaemia among women and children.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Promotes behavioural change, use of technology <strong>(POSHAN Tracker<\/strong>), and convergence of health and nutrition services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mission Shakti:<\/strong> Umbrella programme for women empowerment and safety.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It includes schemes supporting childcare services and economic empowerment of women.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Palna Scheme (National Cr\u00e8che Scheme):<\/strong> It provides day-care facilities for children aged <strong>6 months to 6 years.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It offers nutrition, health care, and early learning support, helping mothers participate in the workforce.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Operates under Mission Shakti with Centre\u2013State funding support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in Implementing Care Economy Reforms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Fiscal Constraints: <\/strong>Expanding care infrastructure and workforce training requires substantial public investment and long-term financial commitment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social Attitudes Towards Care Work: <\/strong>Caregiving continues to be viewed as a private family responsibility rather than a public policy concern. Deep-rooted patriarchal norms limit recognition of unpaid care work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Regulatory Capacity:<\/strong> Ensuring quality standards and monitoring care institutions across India remains administratively challenging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Skilled Care Workforce<\/strong>: India faces a shortage of professionally trained caregivers, especially in eldercare, disability support, and early childhood care.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Recognise Care as Essential Social Infrastructure: <\/strong>Policymakers should treat care services as a core component of economic and social infrastructure similar to education and healthcare.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increase Investment in Care Services: <\/strong>India should substantially increase public investment in childcare centres, eldercare facilities, rehabilitation centres, and community support systems.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Care policies should be aligned with labour reforms, gender budgeting, and women\u2019s empowerment programmes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improve Data Collection and Measurement: <\/strong>India should strengthen time-use surveys and statistical frameworks to estimate the economic contribution of unpaid care work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/supreme-court-recognises-loss-of-homemakers-domestic-care-as-distinct-compensation-in-mv-act\/article71088075.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Supreme Court&#8217;s 2026 judgment recognising homemakers as &#8220;nation builders&#8221; and assigning a minimum value of \u20b930,000 per month to unpaid domestic care work has brought renewed attention to India&#8217;s care economy. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is the Care Economy? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The care economy refers to all paid and unpaid activities related to the care of children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities etc. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Care work forms a critical pillar of human development, labour productivity, and social welfare systems in modern economies. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> According to the International Labour Organisation, increasing investments in the care services sector have the potential to generate 475 million jobs globally by 2030. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/12-06-2026\/invisible-care-work \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76641"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76653,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76641\/revisions\/76653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}