New Delhi, Sept 9: More than 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres serving over 7.5 crore children and 1.10 crore pregnant and lactating women will anchor this year’s nationwide nutrition campaign, as the Centre on Wednesday launched the ninth Rashtriya Poshan Maah.
The month-long campaign, running from September 9 to October 8, was launched in Varanasi under the theme “Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Jimmedari”, with the government putting the focus on dietary diversity, adequate protein intake, fresh hot cooked meals and early childhood development.
Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi said the government was upgrading 2 lakh Anganwadi Centres into Saksham Anganwadis, of which around 24,000 have been approved in Uttar Pradesh.
She stressed the importance of the first 1,000 days of life and called for greater community participation in improving nutrition, maternal health and child development.
The Minister also highlighted the 10-year journey of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), saying more than ₹21,000 crore had been transferred through DBT to over 4.65 crore mothers.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Anganwadi Centres had been transformed into “vibrant community institutions”, with improved infrastructure and learning facilities. He said Anganwadi workers had also been equipped with smartphones for real-time data entry and digital monitoring.
Adityanath said the centres were regularly providing Hot Cooked Meals and Take Home Ration to eligible beneficiaries, stressing that investment in nutrition yielded lifelong benefits through healthier children and stronger families.
The campaign will also seek to strengthen community ownership through Anganwadi Management Committees and Supplementary Nutrition Programme menu boards, besides promoting nutrition and early stimulation for childhood development.
The Ministry said more than 150 crore Jan Andolan activities had been conducted since Poshan Abhiyaan was launched in 2018 through Poshan Maah, Poshan Pakhwada and other community initiatives.
Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur called on communities, Panchayati Raj Institutions, self-help groups and families to participate in strengthening grassroots nutrition and childcare services.
Ministry Secretary Anil Malik said Poshan Abhiyaan had evolved from a government programme into a nationwide Jan Andolan, with the next phase requiring greater community ownership and accountability.
