NITI Aayog has called for a trained, professional caregiver workforce to meet India’s growing care needs and tap rising global demand, in a study report released on 5 August 2026. The report frames caregiving as a skilled and dignified profession and lays out a roadmap to build an organised care ecosystem while creating jobs.
At the centre of the recommendations is a proposed National Policy on Caregiving to standardise fragmented certifications, accreditations and schemes. The think tank also called for a National Caregiving Council, a National Caregiving Qualification Framework, a National Caregiver Registry, and a digital platform to strengthen workforce planning and service delivery.
The timing is tied to demographics. According to the India Ageing Report 2023, the elderly population stood at an estimated 149 million in July 2022, around 10.5% of the population, and NITI Aayog’s report projects that figure will rise to 347 million by 2050. With family care under pressure from urbanisation and changing family structures, the report describes India’s current caregiving ecosystem as nascent.
“There is also a need to formally recognise caregiving as an allied profession with defined roles, fair wages, job security, and growth opportunities,” the report said.
The global angle is a core part of the pitch. Officials told Business Standard the world is expected to face a shortage of around 11 million caregivers, including doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals. To capture that demand, NITI Aayog proposed strengthening international partnerships, building overseas placement mechanisms, and running language and cultural competency training so caregivers can work across diverse settings.
The proposals follow government moves to upgrade institutions across 10 allied health disciplines and plans to train 150,000 caregivers in the coming year through National Skills Qualification Framework-aligned programmes.
