Poshan Abhiyan - National Nutrition Mission

Background & Launch

• Launched on 8 March 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan
• Operates under the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD)
• Evolved into Mission Poshan 2.0 (Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan) in 2021-22, merging several nutrition-related schemes into one

Target Beneficiaries

• Children (0-6 years)
• Adolescent girls
• Pregnant women
• Lactating mothers

Key Objectives (Targets to Achieve)

Core Pillars

1. Convergence - Linking 13+ government schemes across multiple ministries (ICDS, NHM, Swachh Bharat, PMGSY, MGNREGS, etc.)
2. Governance - Technology-based real-time monitoring through the Poshan Tracker App
3. Capacity Building - Training frontline workers (Anganwadi Workers, ASHAs, ANMs)
4. Community Outreach (Jan Andolan) - People's movement for grassroots behavioral change

Key Interventions

• Supplementary Nutrition through Anganwadi centers
• Growth monitoring and tracking of children
• Maternal nutrition and Infant & Young Child Feeding (IYCF) promotion
• Treatment of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) / Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) - Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) protocols
• WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) linkages
• AYUSH integration for wellness
• Promotion of local/traditional nutritious foods

Technology & Digital Tools

• Poshan Tracker App - World's largest nutrition monitoring platform; as of September 2025, over 14 lakh Anganwadi centers and 9.14 crore beneficiaries were registered
• Biometric-based beneficiary registration introduced from August 2025
• ICT-based real-time monitoring of nutrition outcomes
• Dashboards for district/state-level tracking

National Campaigns

• Rashtriya Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month) - Observed every September
• Poshan Pakhwada (Nutrition Fortnight) - Observed every March-April
  • The 7th Poshan Pakhwada (April 8-22, 2025) focused on: first 1,000 days of life, CMAM protocols, Poshan Tracker self-registration, and childhood obesity prevention
• Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2025 focused on maternal nutrition, IYCF, Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE), and reducing sugar/oil consumption

Budget & Scale

• Budget allocation for FY 2024-25: Rs. 21,200 crore (~USD 2.54 billion)
• Over 80% of the Women & Child Development Ministry's budget is dedicated to this initiative
• Reaches over 80 million beneficiaries through 1.4 million Anganwadi Workers across all 36 states/UTs
• Over 72.22 lakh pregnant women registered under Mission Poshan 2.0 (as of July 2025)
• Maternity benefits delivered to over 4.05 crore beneficiaries since inception

Mission Poshan 2.0 (2021 onwards)

• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
• Poshan Abhiyan
• National Creche Scheme
• Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG)

• Nutritional content & delivery reform
• Convergent ecosystem building
• Health, wellness, and immunity
• Behavioral change communication

Results / Impact (selected findings from 11 pilot states - World Bank supported)

• Women's undernutrition (BMI < 18.5) fell from avg. 24.5% to 20.3%
• Exclusive breastfeeding rates rose from 54.1% to 64.6%
• Post-weighing counseling to mothers rose from 63.2% to 76.3%
• Over 8.6 lakh Anganwadi Workers (81%) received capacity building

Challenges

• Uneven implementation quality across states
• Shortage of trained personnel and infrastructure at Anganwadi centers
• Data quality and reporting gaps
• Last-mile delivery in remote/tribal areas
• Sustained behavioral change at community level