7th Rashtriya Poshan Maah: Empowering Women Through Nutrition

‘Poshan Maah 2024’ is a nationwide celebration that promotes nutrition awareness and drives action towards building a healthier India. This year, in its 7th phase, the Poshan Maah campaign focuses on critical themes such as anaemia prevention, growth monitoring, effective service delivery through good governance and technology, “Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi,” and supplementary nutrition.

Since 2018, 6 Poshan Maah and Poshan Pakhwada have taken place throughout the country, with the 7th Rashtriya Poshan Maah currently underway. Over 100 crore nutrition-centric sensitisation activities have been reported during these awareness campaigns under various themes.

Poshan Maah 2024: A Nationwide Movement for Health and Nutrition

The 7th edition of Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2024, celebrated nationwide, brings renewed energy to the nutrition discourse. Kicked off in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, by Union Minister of Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, the month-long campaign is a vital part of India’s mission to eradicate malnutrition. The inauguration began with the plantation drive “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam,” a symbolic representation of the connection between environmental sustainability and nutrition.

This year’s Poshan Maah focuses on critical themes:

• Anemia Mukt Bharat: Focused on reducing anemia through a 6x6x6 strategy (six age groups, six interventions, and six institutional mechanisms), this initiative plays a pivotal role in improving maternal and child health outcomes nationwide. As of August 2024, 95% of pregnant women and 65.9% of lactating women in India have been provided 180 Iron and folic Acid (IFA) tablets to combat anemia.

• Tech-Driven Solutions: Leveraging digital platforms like POSHAN Tracker to monitor and improve real-time nutrition delivery for over 10 crore beneficiaries.

• Intensified Jan Andolan: Community-led activities promoting nutrition awareness in every household. This year’s theme also includes Complementary Feeding, a critical aspect of infant nutrition. Around the age of 6 months, an infant's need for energy and nutrients starts to exceed that which is provided by breast milk.  Complementary foods are necessary to meet those needs.

An infant of this age is also developmentally ready for foods other than mother’s milk. During the period of complementary feeding, children are at high risk of undernutrition. Sensitization of the community about the time of initiation, nutritional quality, quantity and frequency of complementary feeding will help to ensure the healthy growth of children.

Impact of Poshan Maah

The 7th Rashtriya Poshan Maah has witnessed unprecedented participation across India, demonstrating the nation’s strong commitment to improving nutrition outcomes, especially for infants, young children, and women. With over 9.22 crore activities held nationwide, Poshan Maah 2024 has become a true people’s movement, engaging communities, government agencies, and local bodies to drive nutrition awareness and interventions at the grassroots level.

Top-Performing States in Poshan Maah 2024

The nationwide activities reflect the collective effort of states, with some standing out for their robust engagement. The top five performing states in terms of activities include:

• Maharashtra: Leading the pack with a remarkable 1.80 crore activities organised. 

• Bihar: Following closely, Bihar organized an outstanding number of 1.17 crore activities.

• Madhya Pradesh: With 79.32 lakh activities, Madhya Pradesh made significant strides in reaching out to communities.

• Uttar Pradesh: Uttar Pradesh actively engaged its vast population through 70.28 lakh activities.

• Gujarat: Gujarat also joined the list with 66.76 lakh activities

Additionally, Andhra Pradesh also made significant contributions with 65.54 lakh activities, further bolstering the nationwide efforts to improve nutritional awareness and practices.

Thematic Focus of Poshan Maah 2024

Poshan Maah 2024's success can be attributed to its diverse thematic approach, addressing various aspects of nutrition, health, and well-being. Each theme reflects the critical issues being targeted under the larger Poshan Abhiyaan framework.

• Anaemia Prevention: Recognizing anemia as a major health concern affecting adolescent girls and women, 1.88 crore activities were centered around raising awareness and providing interventions to combat anemia.

• Growth Monitoring: 1.68 crore activities focused on growth monitoring, enabling timely identification of stunting, wasting, and undernutrition through Poshan Tracker, ensuring early intervention where required.

• Complementary Feeding: Complementary feeding, crucial for children between six months and two years of age, was addressed through 1.45 crore activities.

• Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi: The integration of education with nutrition was reflected in 1.59 crore activities, highlighting the Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi initiative.

• Technology for Better Governance: The use of technology in nutrition governance has been a game changer. 1.08 crore activities focused on promoting digital tools like the Poshan Tracker.

• Environment Protection: Nutrition cannot be isolated from environmental sustainability. 73.20 lakh activities were dedicated to environmental protection, underscoring the connection between a healthy environment and improved nutrition.

• Nutrition-Specific Interventions: Poshan Maah 2024 placed a strong emphasis on areas directly related to nutrition. 92.72 lakh activities were focused on promoting healthy eating practices, improving dietary diversity, and educating communities about locally available nutritious foods.

• Mass Sensitization Activities: Raising awareness at scale is vital for lasting change. 54.25 lakh activities were dedicated to mass sensitization.

In addition to Poshan Maah’s dedication, Poshan Abhiyaan also continues to make significant strides towards a Suposhit Bharat, with 13,99,484 operational Anganwadi centers (AWCs) across 781 districts in 36 states and Union Territories, supported by 13,33,561 Anganwadi workers. These centers cater to over 9.98 crore beneficiaries, with 98.6% Aadhaar verification completed, ensuring better tracking. Infrastructure improvements include 1,95,497 AWCs with their own buildings, 2,73,680 with functional toilets, and 3,38,645 with access to drinking water.

Operational consistency is strong, with 13,34,026 AWCs open for at least 15 days in the reporting month and 9,54,808 open for 25 days. Growth monitoring has measured 8.55 crore children (0-6 years), while targeted home visits reached 81.70 lakh pregnant and lactating women and over 1.50 crore children (0-2 years). These efforts demonstrate Poshan Abhiyaan’s comprehensive approach to improving nutrition and health outcomes across India.

POSHAN Abhiyaan: Mission and Goals

POSHAN Abhiyan (Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) is a Government of India’s flagship initiative which focuses on advancing nutritional outcomes for children under six years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers holistically. It was launched in March 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.

Since the inception of the Abhiyaan, six successful Poshan Maah events have been held across the country, with enthusiastic participation from States/UTs as well as convergent Ministries and Departments. The POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to achieve measurable progress in reducing malnutrition across India. Some key targets include:

1. Reducing stunting in children aged 0-6 years by 2% annually.

2. Reducing undernutrition (underweight prevalence) by 2% annually.

3. Combating anaemia in children, adolescent girls, and women by 3% annually.

4. Reducing low birth weight by 2% annually.

Strategic Pillars of POSHAN Abhiyaan

The Abhiyaan operates through four strategic pillars:

Access to Quality Services:

Providing essential health services through schemes like Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), National Health Mission (NHM), and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), especially during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.

Cross-Sectoral Convergence:

Coordinating efforts across multiple ministries, including water and sanitation under the Swachh Bharat Mission and drinking water access through the National Drinking Water Mission. 

Leveraging Technology:

Tools like the ICDS-CAS (Common Application Software) enable real-time data collection and intervention.

Jan Andolan:

Community engagement is key to driving mass awareness and encouraging behavioral change around nutrition.

Additionally, POSHAN Abhiyan benefits 69.42 lakh Pregnant Women (PW) and 42.54 lakh Lactating Mothers (LM). At present, more than 23.17 lakh Adolescent Girls (14-18 years) receive benefits under the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) across Aspirational Districts and the NE Region. Engagement of Adolescent Girls has the potential to provide the additional velocity required to create a malnutrition-free India.

Tech Infusion

Earlier, the absence of real-time malnutrition data posed significant challenges. To address these issues, the Ministry of Women and Child Development introduced the 'Poshan Tracker.' ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) launched this app in March 2021. It is specifically designed for Anganwadi workers and was accompanied by the distribution of smartphones to all Anganwadi centres. Currently, Mission Poshan 2.0 covers an impressive 8.9 crore children (0-6 years).

POSHAN Tracker Universe

Poshan Abhiyaan created a universe around the Poshan Tracker. At the center of this universe are Anganwadi Workers assisted by Anganwadi Helpers who are helping make India malnutrition-free. The Tracker allows for beneficiary migration between Anganwadi centers without any data loss. It is accessible in 22 regional languages, in addition to English and Hindi. The Poshan Helpline (14408) has been operational since November 2022.

During Poshan Maah and Poshan Pakhwada, activities of other ministries/departments are recorded on the Jan Andolan Dashboard of the Poshan Tracker, facilitating horizontal convergence. The Poshan Tracker has been integrated with the RCH (Reproductive and Child Health) and UWIN portals of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Leveraging the power of data and analytics, the government can fine-tune strategies.

National Award for e-Governance for the POSHAN Tracker App

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has received the National Award for e-Governance 2024 (Gold) for the Poshan Tracker initiative (3.9.2024) in Mumbai. This award has been given to the Poshan Tracker initiative for Government process re-engineering and digital Transformation. Poshan Tracker ensures a healthier future for children with real-time Monitoring and evaluation of Children’s nutritional growth.