Lok Sabha Question No. 1156 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-06
Subject: Nutritional Status of Women and Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Raja A

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1156 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2026

## NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

## 1156.  SHRI RAJA A:

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

- (a) whether Government has conducted any evaluation/impact assessment study on Poshan Abhiyan  scheme  recently  to  ascertain  its  effectiveness  in  improving  the  nutritional status of women and children in the country;
- (b) if so, the key findings of such reports along with the response of the Ministry thereon;
- (c) the  details  of  the  steps  being  taken  under  various  schemes  including  Anganwadi services to improve maternal and child nutrition outcomes;
- (d) the details of fund allocated/spent in the Budget for these schemes, separately, during the last five years and in the current year, year-wise; and
- (e) the details of the reasons for under-utilisation of funds, if any, in certain States along with steps taken to address this issue?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) to (e): To address the challenge of malnutrition, Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan and Scheme for Adolescent girls (14-18 years, in Aspirational Districts and North-Eastern region) have  been  subsumed  under  the  umbrella  Mission  Saksham  Anganwadi  and  Poshan  2.0 (Mission  Poshan  2.0).  It  is  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Mission,  where  the  responsibility  for implementation  of  various  activities  lies  with  the  States  and  UTs.  This  Mission  includes beneficiaries; Children under 6 years of age, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls  (14-18  years,  in  Northeastern  States  and  Aspirational  Districts)of  the  country.  The Mission is being implemented across the country.The objectives of Mission are as follows:

- To contribute to development of human capital in the country;
- Address challenge of malnutrition;
- Promote nutrition awareness and good eating habits for sustainable health and wellbeing

Under Mission Poshan 2.0 a new strategy has been made for reduction in malnutrition and for improved  health,  wellness  and  immunity  through  activities  like  community  engagement, outreach,  behavioural  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.

Under this Mission, Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Children (6 months to 6 years), Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Adolescent Girls in accordance with the nutrition norms contained in Schedule-II of the National Food Security Act, 2013. These norms have been  revised  in  January  2023.  The  old  norms  were  largely  calorie-specific;  however,  the revised norms are more comprehensive and balanced in terms of both quantity and quality of supplementary nutrition based  on  the  principles  of  diet  diversity  that  provides  for  quality protein,  healthy  fats  and  micronutrients  (Calcium,  Zinc,  Iron,  Dietary  Folate,  Vitamin  A, Vitamin-B6  and  Vitamin  B-12 ). Extra  Supplementary  Nutrition  is  provided  to  Severely Acutely Malnourished (SAM) children as per National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).

Further, 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.

Ministry  vide  notification  dated  12th  September  2022  issued  Integrated  Nutrition  Support Programme- Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan (2.0), Rules 2022 to regulate the entitlements specified under the provisions of National Food Security Act, 2013 for every pregnant woman and lactating mother, till six months after childbirth and every child in the age group of six months to six years.

Further, Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of 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.

To  encourage  diet-diversity  and  consumption  of  wholesome  local  produce,  PoshanVatikas have been developed at AWCs. PoshanVatikas helps to meet the important dietary diversity gap that has been repeatedly revealed in different surveys by providing different fruits, nuts, herbs, medicinal plants and vegetables round the year.

Under this Mission, 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  PoshanMaahs  and PoshanPakhwadas  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.

The  Suposhit  Gram  Panchayat  Abhiyaan  was  launched  on  26th  December  2024  with  the objective  of  accelerating  progress  towards  a  malnutrition-free  Bharat.  States  and  Union Territories nominated top performing Gram Panchayats based on data available on the Poshan Tracker Application, subject to a ceiling of 10% of the total Gram Panchayats in each State/UT.

The details of the funds allocated/spent in the Budget under Mission Poshan 2.0, Separately, during the last five years and in the current year, year-wise are as below:

*As on January 31, 2026

|   S. No.Financial yearFunds released (Rupees in crores)Funds utilized (Rupees in crores) | S. No.Financial yearFunds released (Rupees in crores)Funds utilized (Rupees in crores)   | S. No.Financial yearFunds released (Rupees in crores)Funds utilized (Rupees in crores)   | S. No.Financial yearFunds released (Rupees in crores)Funds utilized (Rupees in crores)   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                                        1 | 2020-21                                                                                  | 16,105.78                                                                                | 17,544.87                                                                                |
|                                                                                        2 | 2021-22                                                                                  | 18,368.01                                                                                | 18,789.28                                                                                |
|                                                                                        3 | 2022-23                                                                                  | 19,849.82                                                                                | 19,346.54                                                                                |
|                                                                                        4 | 2023-24                                                                                  | 21,741.17                                                                                | 20,337.16                                                                                |
|                                                                                        5 | 2024-25                                                                                  | 20,904.83                                                                                | --------                                                                                 |
|                                                                                        6 | 2025-26                                                                                  | 11,862.20*                                                                               | --------                                                                                 |

The Government has taken several steps to address the issue of under-utilization of funds and to ensure timely and effective utilization, which include:

- Regular review meetings with States/UTs to monitor physical and financial progress.
- Issuance  of  advisories  and  guidelines  to  States  for  timely  submission  of  UCs  and compliance with prescribed procedures.

In 2021, the World Bank conducted a survey on Poshan Abhiyaan in 11 priority states with the highest  rates  of  anaemia  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  Anganwadi  Worker,  and  attendance  at community-based events -were associated with improved nutrition behaviours. 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.

Further, a third-party evaluation and impact assessments of Poshan Abhiyaan were conducted by NITI Aayog in 2020 as well as in 2025. They have found its relevance to be satisfactory for tackling malnutrition in the country.

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