POSHAN Abhiyaan (Mission Poshan 2.0)

POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched in March 2018 with a target to reduce stunting and undernutrition in children under six, anaemia in women and adolescent girls, and low birth weight in newborns. In 2021 it was restructured as Mission Poshan 2.0, integrating Anganwadi services, the Scheme for Adolescent Girls and the National Creche Scheme into a single umbrella.

The science is clear: the first 1,000 days from conception to age two are the window in which nutrition has the largest and most permanent effect on cognitive and physical development. A child who is stunted by age two rarely catches up later, even with improved nutrition. POSHAN focuses on this window through targeted interventions for pregnant women, lactating mothers and young children.

The delivery system is the 1.4 million Anganwadi centres run by Anganwadi workers and helpers. Each centre is staffed by one worker and one helper and serves a defined catchment of about 1,000 population. The centre is the touchpoint for supplementary nutrition, growth monitoring, immunisation referrals, pre school education and nutrition counselling.

For a pregnant woman, registration at the Anganwadi triggers monthly take home rations from the second trimester onwards. The ration typically consists of fortified wheat flour, pulses and oil, providing about 600 kcal and 18 to 20 grams of protein per day. The Anganwadi worker also tracks antenatal visits and refers the woman to the ANM for tetanus injections, iron and folic acid supplementation and blood pressure checks.

For a lactating mother, the take home ration continues for six months after delivery. The Anganwadi worker counsels on exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, supports the introduction of complementary feeding at six months and tracks the newborn's growth weekly for the first month.

For a child aged 6 months to 3 years, the family receives take home rations from the Anganwadi each month. Composition is fortified flour blends designed to provide 500 kcal and 12 to 15 grams of protein per day. The child is weighed monthly at the centre and the weight is plotted on the growth chart in the mother's Mother and Child Protection card.

For a child aged 3 to 6 years, the child attends the Anganwadi daily for pre school education and receives a hot cooked meal providing 500 kcal and 12 to 15 grams of protein. Growth monitoring continues monthly and immunisation records are tracked.

For adolescent girls aged 14 to 18 in aspirational districts, the Scheme for Adolescent Girls provides monthly take home rations of 600 kcal and 18 to 20 grams of protein, along with life skills education, menstrual hygiene support and links to formal or non formal education.

Every visit to the Anganwadi involves weighing the child. The weight is plotted on a growth chart that has three zones: normal green, moderate yellow and severe red. A child in the red zone is flagged as severely underweight or severely wasted depending on the weight for age and weight for height standards.

A red zone reading is not a diagnosis but a referral trigger. The Anganwadi worker refers the child to the ANM or the community health centre for clinical assessment. If the child is confirmed as severely acutely malnourished without medical complications, treatment is community based with ready to use therapeutic food provided through the health system. If complications are present, the child is admitted to a Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre at the community health centre or district hospital for 14 to 21 days of intensive feeding and monitoring.

The single most important parental action is to attend monthly weighings. Skipping months means the early warning signal is lost, and severe malnutrition is detected only when the child is visibly wasted, by which point recovery is slower and more expensive.

POSHAN Tracker is the mobile application Anganwadi workers use to record growth data, attendance and supplementary nutrition distribution. Each child has a unique record that follows them across moves between Anganwadis. For families this matters in two ways. First, it makes the growth chart portable when families migrate. Second, it makes the supplementary nutrition register auditable, reducing leakage.

Families can request a printout of their child's record from the Anganwadi worker on demand. If the record is missing entries or shows distribution that did not actually happen, complain through the supervisor or the Child Development Project Officer. The POSHAN Tracker grievance helpline 14408 also accepts complaints.

• 01Pregnant women and lactating mothers registered at the local Anganwadi
• 02Children aged 6 months to 6 years registered at the Anganwadi
• 03Adolescent girls aged 14 to 18 in identified aspirational districts under the SAG component
• 04Resident of the area covered by the Anganwadi centre
• 05No income or caste restriction for accessing Anganwadi services

• §Aadhaar of the mother or child for registration; absence of Aadhaar should not deny services
• §Birth certificate of the child for accurate growth monitoring records
• §Pregnancy registration card from the ANM
• §Address proof to confirm Anganwadi coverage

• Most rejections are operational rather than eligibility based; rare cases include refusal to provide Aadhaar where the state has not waived the requirement
• Migrant families not registered at the destination Anganwadi missing services until they register
• Adolescent girls in non aspirational districts not covered under SAG

• POSHAN Abhiyaan and Mission Poshan 2.0 guidelines, Ministry of Women and Child Developmentlink ↗
• POSHAN Tracker user documentation, Ministry of Women and Child Developmentlink ↗