Caregiving has always been essential work in India. On 5 August 2026, NITI Aayog proposed treating it as a profession, not an invisible duty.
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Indian Governance · IndGov0028
Reimagining Care
NITI Aayog’s caregiving policy roadmap, released 5 August 2026
Released By
Ashok Kumar Lahiri, VC, NITI Aayog
Prepared By
Social Justice & Empowerment Division
Key Proposal 1
National Policy on Caregiving
Key Proposal 2
National Caregiver Council
Policy
Professional recognition of caregivers
Workforce development
Global cooperation
Social security
Family & community-based care
From Duty to Profession
The report’s central shift is treating caregiving as skilled, paid work. It also frames rising global demand for trained caregivers as an export opportunity for India, much like skilled nursing already is.
Must Know
Reimagining Care: NITI Aayog’s Caregiving Roadmap
What Is Caregiving
- DefinitionCaregiving is the support provided to people who need help with daily living, health, or well-being.
- WhoIt covers care for the elderly, persons with disabilities, the chronically ill, and children.
- TypesIt can be formal (paid professional care) or informal (unpaid family or community care).
- ActivitiesIt includes assistance with meals, mobility, hygiene, medication, companionship and medical care.
- Mostly womenIn India, much unpaid caregiving is done by women within families, often without pay or recognition.
- Why it mattersAs India’s population ages, the demand for formal, skilled caregivers is growing rapidly.
- StoryA single elderly parent needing daily help with bathing, medication timing, and mobility is the ordinary reality this report is about. That work is usually invisible and unpaid, most often done by a daughter or daughter-in-law, not a hired professional.
The Report, and Two Major Proposals, and Released By
- ReleasedOn 5 August 2026, NITI Aayog released “Reimagining Care: Strategies for Empowering Caregivers in Viksit Bharat@2047”.
- PreparedIt was prepared by NITI Aayog’s Social Justice and Empowerment Division.
- ViewIt treats caregiving as a skilled, dignified profession, not informal, unpaid work.
- StoryThe report’s own data shows women spend 299 minutes a day on unpaid domestic and caregiving work, against 97 minutes for men. That gap is the exact problem the report is trying to formally recognise and address.
- PolicyIt proposes a National Policy on Caregiving.
- CouncilIt proposes a National Caregiver Council.
- StoryThe idea is similar to how the Indian Nursing Council certifies and regulates nurses. A caregiver council could set training standards and issue recognised credentials, turning informal experience into a certified, portable skill.
- ChairIt was released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairperson Ashok Kumar Lahiri.
- SourcePIB.
- StoryLahiri tied the report to India’s own tradition of “seva and samvedana,” service and compassion, framing formal recognition as building on an existing cultural strength, not importing a foreign idea.
Good to Know
Pillars and Engagement
Six Strategic Pillars
- PillarsThe report organises recommendations across six pillars.
- SetThese are policy, professional recognition, workforce development, global cooperation, social security, and family and community care.
- StoryUnder professional recognition, a trained caregiver could eventually hold a certificate similar to an ANM or GNM nursing qualification, making their skills verifiable to an employer, an insurer, or a foreign recruiter.
Evidence Base, and Launch Attendees
- MethodIt draws on stakeholder consultations, international benchmarking, surveys and field visits.
- StoryTime-use survey data was part of this evidence base. It surfaced the 299-versus-97-minute gap between women’s and men’s unpaid care work, turning an everyday pattern into a measurable policy problem.
- MinistriesSeveral central ministries attended, including Social Justice, Skill Development and Health.
- InternationalUNFPA, WHO, the World Bank, ADB and the ILO were also present.
- StoryTheir presence signals this isn’t treated as a purely domestic welfare issue. Ageing populations and caregiver shortages are a shared global problem, and India is positioning its own solution as relevant to other countries too.
Test Yourself
Question 1 of 1
Great to Know
Why It Matters
An Economic Opportunity
- ExportThe report frames caregiving as an economic opportunity, not just a welfare obligation.
- DemandRising global demand for trained caregivers could make India a leading exporter, like nursing.
- StoryKerala’s nurses already work across the Gulf, the UK, and beyond, sending home significant remittances each year. The report treats trained caregivers as a similar, exportable skilled workforce, not just a domestic welfare category.
Formal Recognition
- ShiftRecognising caregiving as a profession is a significant shift.
- InvisibleUnpaid family caregiving, often done by women, has stayed economically invisible.
- StoryA woman who leaves paid work to care for an ageing parent shows up in no GDP figure and earns no pension credit for that labour. Formal recognition is aimed directly at closing that gap.
Soft Power
- CultureLahiri linked the report to India’s soft power, rooted in “seva and samvedana”.
- StoryThe pitch is that a country already known for training skilled nurses and caregivers, drawing on this cultural tradition, has a natural advantage in becoming the world’s preferred source for trained care professionals.
Current Affairs
📰 Current Affairs
Recent Release
- EventThe report was released on 5 August 2026.
- SourceFull report: NITI Aayog; PIB.
PYQ
Exam Point of View
MCQ Questions
- PrelimsCaregiving and senior-care policy appear in UPSC and other competitive exams.
Written Answer Questions
- ThemeCare economy, social security and welfare are recurring GS-II themes.
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