Lok Sabha Question No. 4675 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-28
Subject: Upgradation of Anganwadi Centres
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap, Smt. Smita Uday Wagh, Shri Captain Brijesh Chowta, Dr. Bhola Singh, Shri P C Mohan, Dr. K Sudhakar, Shri B K Parthasarathi, Dr. Nishikant Dubey, Shri Jagdambika Pal, Shri Naba Charan Majhi, Smt. Roopkumari Choudhary, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Shri Janardan Mishra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4675

TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2025

## UPGRADATION OF ANGANWADI CENTRES

4675. DR. K SUDHAKAR: DR. BHOLA SINGH: SHRI P C MOHAN: SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA: DR. RAJESH MISHRA: SMT. MAHIMA KUMARI MEWAR: SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA: SHRI SURESH KUMAR KASHYAP: DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY: SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL: SMT. ROOPKUMARI CHOUDHARY: SHRI B K PARTHASARATHI: SMT. SMITA UDAY WAGH: SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) the  number  of  Anganwadi  Centres  (AWCs)  approved  for  upgradation  into Saksham  Anganwadis,  State-wise  and  district-wise  including  Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh;
- (b) the number of AWCs upgraded as on February 2025 and the operational status thereof, State-wise and district-wise;
- (c) the details of key focus area in the upgradation of AWCs such as infrastructure, smart learning, nutrition and health monitoring;
- (d) the funds sanctioned, released and utilized for upgradation of AWCs, year-wise and State- wise;
- (e) the challenges faced in upgrading AWCs and the steps taken to address them;
- (f) the key components of the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP), including nutritional support for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children; and
- (g) the impact of SNP on nutritional outcomes along with any studies conducted and measures taken to improve effectiveness in the States?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a)to(e)  As  per  the  the  15 th   Finance  Commission  cycle,  2  lakh  Anganwadi  Centres (AWCs) located in Government buildings @ 40,000 AWCs per year are strengthened and upgraded as Saksham Anganwadis for improved nutrition delivery and for Early Childhood Care and Education under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. Saksham Anganwadis  are  provided  with  better  infrastructure  than  the  conventional Anganwadi Centres including LED screens, water purifier/installation of RO Machine, Poshan Vatika, ECCE related books and learning material etc. As on date, 2 Lakh Anganwadi Centres  have  been  sanctioned  for  upgradation  to  Saksham  Anganwadi Centres.

The  state-wise  details,  including  Maharashtra,  Chhattisgarh,  Karnataka,  Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, regarding the number of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) approved  for  upgradation  as  Saksham  Anganwadis,  along  with  the  allocated  and released funds, are provided in Annexure.

(f) to (g)Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, Supplementary Nutrition, one of the six components under Anganwadi Services, is provided to the Children (6 months to 6 years), Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Adolescent Girls (of 1418  years  in  Aspirational  Districts  and  North-Eastern  region)  in  accordance  with  the nutrition norms contained in Schedule-II of the National Food Security Act through the network  of  14  lakh  Anganwadi  Centres  located  across  the  country.    It  is  primarily designed to bridge the gap between the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and the Average Daily Intake (ADI).

Fortified rice is being supplied to AWCs to meet the requirement of micro-nutrients and to control anaemia among women and children. Greater emphasis is being laid on the use of millets at least once a week for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal and Take Home ration at Anganwadi centers.

Ministries of Women & Child Development and Health & Family Welfare have jointly released the protocol for Community Management of Malnutrition (CMAM) to prevent and treat severely acute malnutrition in children and for reducing associated morbidity and mortality.

Various rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare since 1992-93 have shown improvement in malnutrition indicators in children across India. Details of these indicators for children since NFHS1 to NFHS-5 are given below:

| NFHS Survey         |   Stunting% |   Underweight% |   Wasting% |
|---------------------|-------------|----------------|------------|
| NFHS-1 (1992-93)*   |        52   |           53.4 |       17.5 |
| NFHS-2 (1998-99)**  |        45.5 |           47   |       15.5 |
| NFHS-3 (2005-6)***  |        48   |           42.5 |       19.8 |
| NFHS-4 (2015-16)*** |        38.4 |           35.8 |       21   |
| NFHS-5 (2019-21)*** |        35.5 |           32.1 |       19.3 |

* Under 4 years

** Under 3 years

- *** Under 5 years

The  above  table  gives  a  representative  picture  of  malnutrition  indicators  among  all children of 0-3 years, 0-4 years and 0-5 years age at the relevant time.

The projected population of all children up to 5 years in India for the year 2021 is 13.75 crores approximately (source: Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036, National Commission on Population, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare). However, only 7.49 crores children up to 5 years were enrolled in Anganwadis and registered on Poshan Tracker of the Ministry of Women & Child Development as per the February 2025 data. 7.25 crores of these children were measured on growth parameters of height and weight. 39.09% of them have been found to be stunted, 16.60% have been found to be underweight and 5.35% wasted.

Further, the projected population of all children in India up to 6 years for the year 2021 is approximately 16.1 crores. As per the February 2025 data of Poshan Tracker, 8.80 crores children (0-6 years) were enrolled in Anganwadis out of whom 8.52 crores were measured on growth parameters of height and weight. 37.75% of these children (0-6 years) have been found to be stunted and 17.19% children (0-6 years) have been found to be underweight. The analysis of the above NFHS data and the Poshan Tracker data shows improvement in malnutrition indicators in children across India. In  2021,  the  World  Bank  conducted a survey in 11 priority  states  (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,  Chhattisgarh,  Gujarat,  Jharkhand,  Karnataka,  Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan,  Tamil  Nadu  and  Uttar  Pradesh)  with  the  highest  rates  of  anemia  and stunting.  The  aim  of  this  survey  was  to  assess  the  program's  delivery  of  nutrition services, whether the nutritional knowledge of beneficiaries had improved and if they had adopted more appropriate nutrition and feeding practices. The findings demonstrated that the services delivered through the Poshan Abhiyaan the  receipt  of  relevant  messages,  home  visits  by  the  AWW,  and  attendance  at community  based  events  -  were  associated  with  improved  nutrition  behaviors.  The survey also found that the program's nutrition messages reached more than 80% of women,  and  that  81%  of  women  practiced  exclusive  breastfeeding  for  the  first  six months. Under this Mission a new strategy has been made for reduction in malnutrition and for improved health, wellness and immunity through activities like community engagement,  outreach,  behavioral  change,  and  advocacy.  It  focuses  on  Maternal Nutrition,  Infant  and  Young  Child  Feeding  Norms,  treatment  of  Severe  Acute Malnutrition (SAM)/ Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and wellness through AYUSH practices to reduce prevalence of wasting, stunting, anaemia and being underweight. One  of  the  major  activities  undertaken  is  Community  Mobilization  and  Awareness Advocacy to educate people on nutritional aspects as adoption of good nutrition habit requires sustained efforts for behavioural change. State and UTs are conducting and reporting regular sensitisation activities under Jan Andolans during Poshan Maahs and Poshan  Pakhwadas  celebrated  in  the  months  of  September  and  March-April respectively. Community Based Events (CBEs) have served as a significant strategy in changing nutritional practices and all Anganwadi workers are required to conduct two Community Based Events every month.

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## Annexure

Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (e) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4675 to be answered on 28.03.2025 regarding 'Upgradation of Anganwadi Centres' by Dr. K Sudhakar, Dr. Bhola Singh, Shri P C Mohan, Shri Captain Brijesh Chowta, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Shri Janardan Mishra, Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap, Dr. Nishikant Dubey, Shri Jagdambika Pal, Smt. Roopkumari Choudhary, Shri B K Parthasarathi, Smt. Smita Uday Wagh, Shri Naba Charan Majhi.

The state-wise details, including Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, regarding the number of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) approved for upgradation as Saksham Anganwadis, along with the allocated and released funds:

|   S.N o. | State/UT         |   No. of AWCs approved for upgradati on during FY 2022- 23 |   Fund allocate d during FY 2022-23 (Rs. in Lakh) | Fund release d during FY 2022- 23 (Rs. in Lakh)   |   No. of AWCs approved for upgradati on during FY 2023- 24 |   Fund allocate d during FY 2023-24 (Rs. in Lakh) |   Fund release d during FY 2023- 24 (Rs. in Lakh) |   No. of AWCs approved for upgradati on during FY 2024- 25 |   Fund allocate d for FY 2024-25 (Rs. in Lakh) |   Fund release d for FY 2024- 25 (Rs. in Lakh) | Total Fund release d as on date (Rs. in Lakh)   |
|----------|------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh   |                                                       1105 |                                            525.58 | 525.58                                            |                                                       1763 |                                            1057.8 |                                                 0 |                                                       7090 |                                         4254   |                                            0   | 525.58                                          |
|        2 | Bihar            |                                                       3566 |                                           1697.77 | 1697.7 7                                          |                                                       3550 |                                            2130   |                                                 0 |                                                       4413 |                                         2647.8 |                                            0   | 1697.7 7                                        |
|        3 | Chhattisgar h    |                                                       4750 |                                           1957.92 | 1957.9 2                                          |                                                       1740 |                                            1044   |                                                 0 |                                                       5000 |                                         3000   |                                            0   | 1957.9 2                                        |
|        4 | Gujarat          |                                                       1250 |                                            750    | 750.00                                            |                                                          0 |                                               0   |                                                 0 |                                                      11897 |                                         7138.2 |                                            0   | 750.00                                          |
|        5 | Haryana          |                                                         10 |                                              3.56 | 3.56                                              |                                                          0 |                                               0   |                                                 0 |                                                       2794 |                                         1676.4 |                                            0   | 3.56                                            |
|        6 | Himachal Pradesh |                                                        100 |                                             72.86 | 72.86                                             |                                                         25 |                                              22.5 |                                                 0 |                                                        905 |                                          814.5 |                                            0   | 72.86                                           |
|        7 | Jammu & Kashmir  |                                                         86 |                                             69.66 | 69.66                                             |                                                         50 |                                              45   |                                                45 |                                                        202 |                                          181.8 |                                          181.8 | 304.20                                          |
|        8 | Jharkhand        |                                                       6850 |                                           3028.88 | 3028.8 8                                          |                                                          0 |                                               0   |                                                 0 |                                                       9925 |                                         5955   |                                            0   | 3028.8 8                                        |

|   9 | Karnataka         |   100 |   47.39 | 47.39    |   178 |   106.8 |   106.8 |   17454 |   10472.4 0 | 10472. 40   | 10639. 20   |
|-----|-------------------|-------|---------|----------|-------|---------|---------|---------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|  10 | Kerala            |   250 |  116.12 | 116.12   |  1710 |  1026   |  1026   |    2192 |      1315.2 | 0.00        | 1142.1 2    |
|  11 | Madhya Pradesh    |  2220 | 1305.85 | 1305.8 5 |  9486 |  5691.6 |     0   |   12956 |      7773.6 | 0.00        | 1305.8 5    |
|  12 | Maharashtr a      |  1150 |  520.47 | 520.47   |   589 |   353.4 |   353.4 |   13006 |      7803.6 | 7803.6 0    | 8847.0 0    |
|  13 | Odisha            |  6000 | 2920.92 | 2920.9 2 |  1084 |   650.4 |     0   |    5056 |      3033.6 | 0.00        | 2920.9 2    |
|  14 | Punjab            |   100 |   56.88 | 56.88    |     0 |     0   |     0   |     253 |       151.8 | 0.00        | 56.88       |
|  15 | Rajasthan         |   213 |  102.93 | 102.93   |   340 |   204   |     0   |    2961 |      1776.6 | 0.00        | 102.93      |
|  16 | Tamil Nadu        |   800 |  395.76 | 395.76   |  5590 |  3354   |  3354   |    5582 |      3349.2 | 0.00        | 3749.7 6    |
|  17 | Telangana         |   500 |  278.16 | 278.16   |  3529 |  2117.4 |     0   |     979 |       587.4 | 0.00        | 278.16      |
|  18 | Uttar Pradesh     |  2349 | 1015.8  | 1015.8 0 | 17845 | 10707   | 10707   |    3503 |      2101.8 | 0.00        | 11722. 80   |
|  19 | Uttrakhand        |   350 |  306.04 | 306.04   |   213 |   191.7 |     0   |     264 |       237.6 | 0.00        | 306.04      |
|  20 | West Bengal       |  4750 | 2308.19 | 2308.1 9 |   609 |   365.4 |     0   |       0 |         0   | 0.00        | 2308.1 9    |
|  21 | Arunachal Pradesh |   100 |   71.51 | 71.51    |     0 |     0   |     0   |      52 |        46.8 | 46.80       | 136.80      |
|  22 | Assam             |  3963 | 3285.58 | 3285.5 8 |   815 |   733.5 |   733.5 |     629 |       566.1 | 566.10      | 4866.3 0    |
|  23 | Manipur           |    30 |   20.25 | 20.25    |     0 |     0   |     0   |       0 |         0   | 0.00        | 20.25       |
|  24 | Meghalaya         |   100 |   68.9  | 68.90    |     8 |     7.2 |     7.2 |      13 |        11.7 | 11.70       | 108.90      |

| 25   | Mizoram                              |   100 | 64.13     | 64.13     |   988 |   889.2 | 889.2    |    512 | 460.80    |   0.00 | 953.33    |
|------|--------------------------------------|-------|-----------|-----------|-------|---------|----------|--------|-----------|--------|-----------|
| 26   | Nagaland                             |   100 | 72.14     | 72.14     |    49 |    44.1 | 44.1     |      0 | 0.00      |      0 | 134.10    |
| 27   | Sikkim                               |   100 | 64.13     | 64.13     |   335 |   301.5 | 0        |      0 | 0.00      |      0 | 64.13     |
| 28   | Tripura                              |   200 | 146.25    | 146.25    |   245 |   220.5 | 220.5    |     29 | 26.10     |      0 | 366.75    |
| 29   | Andaman & Nicobar                    |     0 | 0         | 0         |    86 |    86   | 86       |     54 | 54        |      0 | 86.00     |
| 30   | Goa                                  |     0 | 0         | 0         |    24 |    14.4 | 0        |      0 | 0         |      0 | 0.00      |
| 31   | Puducherry                           |     0 | 0         | 0         |    65 |    39   | 39       |     70 | 42        |      0 | 39.00     |
| 32   | Chandigarh                           |     0 | 0         | 0         |     0 |     0   | 0        |     69 | 69        |      0 | 0.00      |
| 33   | Ladakh                               |     0 | 0         | 0         |     0 |     0   | 0        |     14 | 14        |     14 | 14.00     |
| 34   | Delhi                                |     0 | 0         | 0         |     0 |     0   | 0        |      0 | 0         |      0 | 0.00      |
| 35   | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu |     0 | 0         | 0         |     0 |     0   | 0        |      0 | 0         |      0 | 0.00      |
| 36   | Lakshadwe ep                         |     0 | 0         | 0         |     0 |     0   | 0        |     18 | 18        |      0 | 0.00      |
|      | Total                                | 41192 | 21273.6 3 | 21273. 63 | 50916 | 31402.4 | 17611. 7 | 107892 | 65579.0 0 |  19096 | 58510. 18 |

*As on 30.01.2025

*****