Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG)

What is the Scheme for Adolescent Girls?

The Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) is a programme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development aimed at out-of-school girls aged 11 to 14 years. It uses the country's network of Anganwadi centres to reach some of the most vulnerable adolescents; girls who have dropped out of school, and to improve their nutrition, health and life skills while nudging them back into education or training.

According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the scheme's nutrition component supplies each beneficiary with roughly 600 calories and 18 to 20 grams of protein a day, along with micronutrients. Around this core it wraps a set of non-nutrition services: iron and folic acid supplementation, periodic health check-ups, referral services, counselling, life-skills and nutrition and health education, and guidance to help girls return to school or move into vocational training. The scheme now runs as part of Saksham Anganwadi and Mission Poshan 2.0, the ministry's consolidated nutrition mission delivered through more than 14 lakh Anganwadi centres.

Key features

• Targets out-of-school girls aged 11 to 14 (up to 18 in Aspirational Districts and the North-East).
• Supplementary nutrition of about 600 kcal and 18-20g protein a day.
• Non-nutrition services, health check-ups, IFA supplements, life-skills and counselling.
• Delivered through Anganwadi centres, not by cash transfer.
• A strong focus on mainstreaming girls back into formal schooling.

Who is eligible for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls?

A girl is covered if:

• She is an out-of-school adolescent girl aged 11 to 14 years.
• In Aspirational Districts and the North-Eastern states, the age band is extended so that girls up to 18 can be covered.
• She is identified by the Anganwadi worker as being out of school in the centre's catchment area.

The scheme does not cover:

• Boys and adult women — it is specifically for adolescent girls.
• Girls already in full-time school, since the design is to reach those who have dropped out and bring them back; school-going adolescents are supported through other education and mid-day-meal channels.
• Girls outside the 11 to 14 band (or 11 to 18 in designated districts) for the nutrition component.

Because the scheme identifies beneficiaries locally rather than through a form-based application, the practical route to being included is through the Anganwadi worker and the Child Development Project Officer.

What benefits does the scheme provide?

The scheme combines nutrition with development support:

• Supplementary nutrition; about 600 calories and 18-20g of protein a day, provided as a take-home ration or a hot cooked meal depending on the state.
• Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation to tackle anaemia, which is common among adolescent girls.
• Health check-ups and referral services through the Anganwadi and linked health system.
• Life-skills, nutrition and health education, and awareness of family welfare, hygiene and adolescent reproductive health.
• Mainstreaming support: motivating and guiding out-of-school girls to rejoin formal schooling or take up skill training.

There is no cash benefit; the value of the scheme lies in the services and nutrition delivered.

What documents are needed?

How to apply for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls

The scheme does not have an individual online application. Enrolment happens locally through the Anganwadi system.

1. Identify your nearest Anganwadi centre, every village and urban ward is mapped to one under the ICDS network.
2. Approach the Anganwadi worker and tell her about an eligible out-of-school girl in the household aged 11 to 14.
3. The worker verifies the girl's age and out-of-school status and enrols her in the centre's register of adolescent-girl beneficiaries.
4. The girl then begins receiving supplementary nutrition and the non-nutrition services delivered at or through the centre.
5. If the local centre does not respond, contact the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) for the block, who supervises the Anganwadi centres.

Because delivery is decentralised, the exact food package, timing and any additional state components are decided at the state and district level.

Help and grievance redressal

• Approach your local Anganwadi centre for enrolment and day-to-day queries.
• Escalate to the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) at the block level if services are not being delivered.
• Scheme details and the Poshan 2.0 framework are published on the Ministry of Women and Child Development website (wcd.gov.in).

The Scheme for Adolescent Girls is a fully government-funded service. No fee is charged to enrol a girl, and families should not pay any agent for access to the Anganwadi services.