Lok Sabha Question No. 1080 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-05
Subject: 'Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi' Scheme
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Saumitra Khan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.1080

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.12.2025

## 'POSHAN BHI PADHAI BHI' SCHEME

## 1080. SHRI SAUMITRA KHAN:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the funds allocated and utilized and steps taken to inculcate healthy nutritional habits among children in Anganwadi Centres under the ' Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi' Scheme ;
- (b) whether any special training sessions have been organized for Anganwadi Workers for this scheme in various states including West Bengal, if so the details thereof; and
- (c) whether  any  mechanism  or  body  has  been  set  up  to  monitor  the  process  of  overall development of children under the said scheme, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)        Under  Poshan  Bhi  Padhai  Bhi  (PBPB)  initiative,  a  total  of  Rs.  476.05  Crore  has  been sanctioned  for  Training  of  State  Level  Master  Trainers  (CDPOs,  Supervisors  and  Additional Resource Persons) and Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) under Anganwadi Services Scheme during FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-2026. Under PBPB,  Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) are imparted training on addressing malnutrition: Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM), Moderately Acute Malnourished (MAM) and micronutrient deficiencies among children. A facilitator guidebook has been  developed  by  Savitribhai  Phule  National  Institute  of  Women  and  Child  Development (SPNIWCD) for training of Anganwadi Workers under Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi. Special emphasis on balanced diet and inculcating healthy practices among children with increased intake of fruits &  vegetables  is  given  during  the  training.  The  training  also  includes  sanitation  and  hygiene practices imparted to the children at Anganwadi Centres (AWCs). Importance of including parents and community in development of children for inculcation of good nutritional practices is also a part of the programme.

(b)       Under Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)Training to Anganwadi Workers is imparted through a Three-Day Programme Schedule (18 hours Duration). Special  Training  sessions  include  'Navchetana -  National  Framework  for  Early  Childhood Stimulation for Children from Birth to Three Years, 2024' and 'Aadharshila - National Curriculum for  Early  Childhood  Care  and  Education  for  Children  from  Three  to  Six  Years  2024'.  Main emphasis is  given  on  Play  Based  Activities  for  ECCE  in  each  AWC  and  Weekly  Play  Based Calendar for ECCE. Poshan Component includes Protocol for Management of Malnutrition in Children:  SAM,  MAM  and  Micronutrient  Deficiencies  among  Children;  Nutrition,  Personal Hygiene and Sanitation for Children (0-6 years) & Dietary Guidelines; Growth Monitoring and Poshan Tracker and Parental Engagement and Community Mobilization for ECCE and Poshan. Special  efforts  have  been  directed  to  include  Divyang  Children  -  Screening,  Inclusion  and Referrals.  As  of  1 st December,  2025  a  total  of  41,645  State  Level  Master  Trainers  (CDPOs, Supervisors  and  Additional  Resource  Persons)  and  8,99,523  Anganwadi  Workers  have  been trained  across  the  country  under  Poshan  Bhi  Padhai  Bhi.  In  West  Bengal  2,303  SLMTs  and 102,130 AWWs have been trained under PBPB.

(c) To monitor the process of overall development of children under the said scheme, i.e. PBPB, Poshan  Tracker,  an  important  governance  tool  to  ensure  transparency  in  nutrition  and  Early Childhood Care and Education service delivery at Anganwadi Centres is used. It is available in 24 languages. For the first time in the Anganwadi eco system, baseline data on nutritional indicators is available on Poshan Tracker with monitoring of nutritional delivery (Take Home Ration/Hot Cooked Meal) and growth measurement on real time basis.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has leveraged the Poshan Tracker application to empower Anganwadi Workers and provide them with continuous digital support and coaching. This initiative aims to enhance their capacity to deliver optimal early childhood care and education services to all children. As part of the digital training efforts, daily learning prompts based on Aadharshila are sent to all AWWs through the Poshan Tracker app. These include two ECCE activity videos and one voice note s ummarizing the day's activities for children aged 3 to 6  years  at  Anganwadi  Centres.  The  content  follows  a  structured  44-week  curriculum,  with  36 weeks of active learning and 8 weeks for recap and reinforcement. Over 230 unique videos, 180+ voice  notes,  and  1,000+  activity  PDFs  have  been  uploaded  in  the  Poshan  Tracker.  Content  is focused on 6 domains of development including foundational literacy, numeracy, and interactive activities.