Mission Poshan 2.0 implemented across country to combat malnutrition: Centre
New Delhi, July 24 (TNT): The Government has been implementing Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) across all States and Union Territories to address malnutrition among children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls, the Ministry of Women and Child Development informed the Lok Sabha.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyaan and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls have been subsumed under Mission Poshan 2.0, a Centrally Sponsored Mission aimed at improving nutrition outcomes.
The Mission covers children below six years of age, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls aged 14-18 years in Aspirational Districts and the North-Eastern region.
Under the initiative, two lakh Anganwadi Centres have been approved for upgradation as Saksham Anganwadis to provide improved nutrition services and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) activities.
These upgraded centres are being equipped with improved infrastructure, including LED screens, water filtration systems, Poshan Vatika, ECCE learning materials and Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) paintings.
The Minister said supplementary nutrition is provided to eligible beneficiaries as per revised nutrition norms under Schedule-II of the National Food Security Act, 2013.
The norms were revised in January 2023 to make them more comprehensive by focusing on dietary diversity, quality and quantity of nutrition.
Additional supplementary nutrition through Take Home Ration is also provided to children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
The scheme is digitally monitored through the Poshan Tracker application, which enables near real-time tracking of Anganwadi Centres, Anganwadi Workers and beneficiaries based on defined indicators.
The Ministries of Women and Child Development and Health and Family Welfare have jointly issued a protocol for management of malnutrition in children, focusing on early identification, community-level screening, home-based nutritional management and medical support for children with severe acute malnutrition.
The government has also undertaken community mobilisation and awareness activities through Poshan Maah and Poshan Pakhwada to encourage behavioural changes related to nutrition.
Anganwadi Workers are required to conduct two Community Based Events every month as part of these efforts.
The Minister said a third-party evaluation of Poshan Abhiyaan by NITI Aayog in 2020 found the programme relevant in addressing malnutrition.
NITI Aayog also conducted an outcome-based evaluation of Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 in 2025, highlighting its role in strengthening child development and nutrition interventions.
The assessment showed an 8.5 percentage point decline in anaemia prevalence among children aged 6-59 months, indicating the impact of iron-folic acid supplementation, fortified foods and improved outreach under supplementary nutrition programmes.
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