National Nutritional Programmes in India

1. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme

• Launched: 1975
• Ministry: Women and Child Development
• Beneficiaries: Children (0-6 years), pregnant women, lactating mothers
• Delivered through: Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) across the country
• Services:
  • Supplementary nutrition
  • Immunization
  • Health check-ups and referral services
  • Non-formal pre-school education
  • Nutrition and health education for mothers
• ICDS is considered the backbone of nutritional programmes in India. It is often the first point of contact for rural families.

2. POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission)

• Launched: March 2018
• Ministry: Women and Child Development
• Target: Reduce stunting, wasting, under-nutrition, and anemia among children (0-6 years), adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers
• Key features:
  • Uses ICT-based Poshan Tracker platform for real-time monitoring
  • Focuses on first 1,000 days of life (conception to 2 years)
  • Rashtriya Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month) every September to create awareness
  • Promotes dietary diversification including millets
  • As of 2024, over 69.4 lakh pregnant women and 42.5 lakh lactating women are covered
• Goal: Reduce stunting by 2% per year, anemia by 3% per year

3. Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) - formerly Mid-Day Meal Scheme

• Originally launched: 1995 (National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education); renamed PM POSHAN in 2021
• Ministry: Education
• Beneficiaries: School children (Classes I-VIII) in government and government-aided schools
• Coverage: One of the largest school feeding programmes in the world
• Benefits:
  • Improves school enrollment, attendance, and retention
  • Addresses classroom hunger and improves cognitive function
  • Reduces malnutrition among school-age children
• Recent state-level innovations include ragi milk (Karnataka), fortified milk (Odisha), and extension to junior college students (Andhra Pradesh, 2025)

4. Vitamin A Prophylaxis Programme

• Launched: 1970
• Ministry: Health and Family Welfare
• Target: Children 9 months to 5 years of age
• Dosage Schedule:
  • 1st dose: 1 lakh IU at 9 months (with measles vaccine)
  • Subsequent doses: 2 lakh IU every 6 months up to 5 years
• Aim: Prevent Vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which causes xerophthalmia and childhood blindness
• Treatment dose: 2 lakh IU followed by similar dose after 4 weeks in deficiency cases

5. National Nutritional Anaemia Control Programme

• Launched: 1970
• Ministry: Health and Family Welfare
• Beneficiaries: Pregnant women, lactating mothers, children (6 months-5 years), adolescent girls
• Key intervention: Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation
  • Pregnant women: 100 mg elemental iron + 500 mcg folic acid daily for 100 days (minimum)
  • Children 6 months-5 years: Syrup form
  • Adolescent girls: Weekly IFA tablets under WIFS (Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation)
• Now integrated under POSHAN Abhiyaan with Poshan Tracker for monitoring

6. National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme (NIDDCP)

• Launched: 1962 (as Goitre Control Programme); renamed 1992
• Ministry: Health and Family Welfare
• Key intervention: Universal iodization of salt (iodized salt at 15 ppm at consumption level)
• Mandate: Ban on sale of non-iodized salt for human consumption
• Aim: Eliminate Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) - goiter, cretinism, hypothyroidism, and mental retardation

7. Special Nutrition Programme (SNP)

• Launched: 1970-71
• Target: Children under 6 years, pregnant women, nursing mothers (particularly in tribal/slum areas)
• Aim: Provide supplementary nutrition to bridge the gap between dietary intake and requirements
• Eventually merged into ICDS as its supplementary nutrition component

8. Balwadi Nutrition Programme

• Launched: 1970-71
• Operated by: Central Social Welfare Board through voluntary organizations
• Target: Pre-school children (3-5 years)
• Services: Supplementary food, non-formal education, basic health care
• Also merged into ICDS

9. National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

• Type: Legal framework (not a standalone programme)
• Coverage: Up to 75% of rural and 50% of urban population
• Entitlements: 5 kg of food grain per person per month at highly subsidized prices (Rice: ₹3/kg, Wheat: ₹2/kg, Coarse grains: ₹1/kg)
• Special provisions: Maternity benefit of ₹6,000 to pregnant and lactating women; free meals for children 6 months-14 years
• Provides the legal backbone for ICDS, Mid-Day Meal, and other food-based programmes

10. Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) Programme

• Launched: 2012
• Target: Adolescent girls and boys (10-19 years) in school and out-of-school settings
• Intervention: Weekly supervised administration of IFA tablets + bi-annual deworming
• Aim: Combat high prevalence of anemia among adolescents

11. Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) - SABLA

• Launched: 2010
• Target: Adolescent girls (11-18 years)
• Nutrition component: 600 kcal and 18-20 g protein per beneficiary per day
• Additional services: Health check-ups, IFA supplementation, nutrition and health education

Summary Table