Lok Sabha Question No. 2363 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-13
Subject: Key Achievements under Poshan Abhiyaan
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2363

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026

## KEY ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER POSHAN ABHIYAAN

## 2363.  SHRI NILESH DNYANDEV LANKE:

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

- (a) whether any significant progress has been made  in reducing the number  of malnourished children in the country under the Poshan Abhiyaan;
- (b) if so, the details thereof indicating the major outcomes and the key achievements made under the said campaign till date;
- (c) whether the situation of child malnutrition remains most critical in several States;
- (d) if so, the details thereof, State-wise including Maharashtra; and
- (e) the details of the steps being taken by the Government to improve the nutritional status in those States, State-wise?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (e) :  To  address  the  challenge  of  malnutrition,  the  Ministry  is  implementing  Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. Under the umbrella Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 which is also known as Mission Poshan 2.0, various component of Anganwadi services,  Poshan  Abhiyaan  and  Scheme  for  Adolescent  girls  (14-18  years,  in  Aspirational Districts and North-Eastern region) have been subsumed. It is a Centrally Sponsored Mission, where the responsibility for implementation of various activities lies with the States and UTs. This Mission covers Children under 6 years of age, pregnant women, lactating mothers till 6 months after childbirth and adolescent girls (14-18 years of age) in Northeastern States and Aspirational Districts of the country. The Mission is being implemented in all States/UTs in the country.

The objectives of the 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.

Data of malnutrition indicators (stunting, wasting and underweight in the children under 5 years of  age)  from  various  rounds  of  the  National  Family  Health  Survey  (NFHS)  of  Ministry  of Health and Family Welfare and of Poshan Tracker have shown improvement over the years. The details are given below:

| NFHS Survey (Maharashtra)                  |   Stunting |   %Underweight |   %Wasting% |
|--------------------------------------------|------------|----------------|-------------|
| NFHS-1 (1992-93)*                          |      47    |          32.7  |       27.6  |
| NFHS-2 (1998-99)**                         |      47.1  |          44.8  |       23.6  |
| NFHS-3 (2005-06)***                        |      44    |          47.3  |       17.2  |
| NFHS-4 (2015-16)***                        |      34.4  |          36    |       25.6  |
| NFHS-5 (2019-20)***                        |      35.2  |          36.1  |       25.6  |
| Maharashtra (Poshan Tracker, January 2026) |      26.85 |          10.51 |        2.57 |
| India (Poshan Tracker, January 2026) ***   |      31.38 |          13.12 |        4.36 |

Poshan Tracker has district and state wise data of all States/UTs including Maharashtra at: https://www.poshantracker.in/statistics.

Some  of  the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  the  nutritional  status  in States/UTs are listed below:

- To effectively address the issue of malnutrition, cross cutting convergence has been ensured  amongst  more  than  18  Ministries/Departments  to  adopt  a  multi-sectoral approach involving dimensions of food, health, water, sanitation and education.
- Under Mission Poshan 2.0, Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Children (6 months to 6 years), Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Adolescent Girls. Supplementary nutrition is provided in accordance with the nutrition norms contained in Schedule-II of the National Food Security Act. These norms have been revised and upgraded 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 7 essential micronutrients (Calcium, Zinc, Iron, Dietary Folate, Vitamin-A, Vitamin-B6 and Vitamin B-12).
- Further,  fortified  rice  is  supplied  to  Anganwadi  Centres  (AWCs)  to  meet  the requirement of micro-nutrients and to control anaemia among women and children. Greater emphasis is laid on the use of millets at least once a week for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal and Take-Home Ration at AWCs.
- Technology  under  Poshan  Tracker  is  being  leveraged  for  dynamic  identification  of stunting, wasting, underweight prevalence among children. It has facilitated near real time  data  collection  for  Anganwadi  Services  such  as,  opening  of  AWCs,  daily attendance of children, ECCE activities, Growth Monitoring of children, Provision of Hot Cooked Meal (HCM)/Take Home Ration (THR), Growth Measurement etc.
- Streamlining Guidelines have been issued by MWCD on Quality Assurance, Roles and Responsibilities  of  Duty  Holders,  procedure  for  procurement,  integrating  AYUSH concepts and Data Management  and  Monitoring  through  Poshan  Tracker for transparency,  efficiency  and  accountability  in  delivery  of  Supplementary  Nutrition. Nutritional Status and Quality Standards of food items under Supplementary Nutrition are being monitored at State, District and Village Level.
- 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.
- 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 Maah and Poshan Pakhwada 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 PM JANMAN Mission launched by Ministry of Tribal Affairs aims for targeted development  of  75  Particularly  Vulnerable  Tribal  Groups  (PVTGs)  residing  in  18 States  and  a  UT.  This  Mission  focuses  on  11  critical  interventions  related  to  9  key Ministries including Ministry of Women and Child Development. As on 30 th  November 2025, a total of 2500 AWCs have been approved for construction across the country and 178 AWCs have been approved for construction in the State of Maharashtra.
- Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Unnat Abhiyan (DAJGUA) aimed at improving the socio-economic condition of tribal communities by adopting saturation coverage of tribal families in tribal majority areas and Aspirational Block ST villages.

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