Lok Sabha Question No. 4668 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-20
Subject: AWCs and Self Help Groups
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Darshan Singh Choudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION. 4668 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.03.2026

## AWCs AND SELF-HELP GROUPS

## 4668.   SHRI DARSHAN SINGH CHOUDHARY:

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

- (a) the  total  number  of  Anganwadi  Centres  (AWCs)  and  Self-Help  Groups  (SHGs) currently operational for the welfare of women and children across the country;
- (b) the details of standardized training modules and programs implemented through these AWCs and  SHGs  to  raise  awareness  in  the  sectors  of  nutrition,  health,  education, sanitation and women's empowerment;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  launched  any  initiatives  to  enhance  the  efficiency  of AWCs and SHGs through digital tools, monitoring mechanisms, specialized training materials and resource support, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether these efforts have resulted in measurable improvements in nutritional levels, health awareness and social participation among women and children and if so, the quantitative data or case studies thereof; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  further  strengthen  quality  standards,  training, financial empowerment and community participation through these centres and groups, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (e):  Under  the  Mission  Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, 14.03 lakh Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) are operational in the whole country to provide Anganwadi Services, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), awareness on growth and development of children and benefits of Supplementary Nutrition to nearly 8.98 crore registered beneficiaries.  To ensure optimal learning for all children at AWCs including Divyang, two curriculum frameworks have been  developed'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'.

The  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  has  launched  'Poshan  Tracker'  digital application for near real time monitoring and tracking of all activities in the AWCs, Anganwadi Workers  (AWWs)  and  beneficiaries  on  defined  indicators.  The  details  of  measurable improvements in nutritional levels are available in Poshan Tracker public dashboard at the given  link:  https://www.poshantracker.in/statistics.  The  application  also  offers  counselling videos  on  key  behaviours  and  services  which  help  disseminate  messages  related  to  birth preparedness,  delivery  of  child,  post-natal  care,  breastfeeding  and  complementary  feeding. Regular field-level trainings and workshops are conducted for Anganwadi Workers for using Poshan Tracker application.

Further under Mission Poshan 2.0, a cascading training model, Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (PBPB) has  been  institutionalized.  Under  the  initiative,  to  enhance  early  learning  through  the Anganwadi system, for children from birth to 6 years, State Level Master Trainers (SLMTs) are  trained  by  the  Savitribai  Phule  National  Institute  of  Women  and  Child  Development (SPNIWCD). These Master Trainers, in turn, impart training to Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) at the field level, ensuring large-scale and uniform capacity-building. As on 16th March 2026, a total of 41,645 SLMTs and 10,35,949 AWWs have been trained under Round 1 and 3,641 SLMTs under Round II of the training programme.

Other major activities undertaken in the Mission Poshan 2.0 include Community Mobilization and  Awareness  Advocacy  to  educate  people  on  nutritional  aspects,  as  adoption  of  good nutrition habits requires sustained efforts for behavioural change. States and Union Territories 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) conducted at Anganwadi Centres have served as  a  significant  strategy  in  changing  nutritional  practices,  and  all  Anganwadi  Workers  are required  to  conduct  two  Community  Based  Events  every  month.  More  than  150  crore  Jan Andolan activities have been conducted since 2018 through 15 Jan Andolans in the country. Also,  Community  Based  Events  (CBEs)  have  served  as  a  significant  strategy  in  changing nutritional practices. All Anganwadi workers are required to conduct two CBEs every month. A total of 9.8 crore CBEs has been conducted from 2018 to February 2026.

The  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  has  issued  Streamlining  Guidelines  on Quality  Assurance,  Roles  and  Responsibilities  of  Duty  Holders,  procurement  procedures, integration of AYUSH concepts and data management and monitoring through Poshan Tracker for transparency, efficiency and accountability in delivery of Supplementary Nutrition.

Further,   third-party  evaluation  and  impact  assessments  of  Poshan  Abhiyaan  conducted  by NITI Aayog in 2020 and also in 2025 for Mission Poshan 2.0 have found its relevance to be satisfactory for tackling malnutrition in the country

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NRLM are to mobilize rural women into collectives to encourage savings and take up multiple livelihoods opportunities to increase household income and  thereby  reduce  rural  poverty.  Thus,  SHGs  are  not  directly  working  on  welfare  of children.  There are 90.91 Lakh SHGs across 34 States and UTs (Except Delhi and Chandigarh) in the country.

To enhance the efficiency of SHGs, The Ministry of Rural Development under DAY-NRLM, is conducting awareness activities on nutrition, health and sanitation amongst SHG households through group meetings, community-based events, and mobilization to public health, nutrition and sanitation services with an aim to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure on health and improve quality of life. The training material issued by the line Ministries have been adapted in SHG context  and  are  being  used  for  discussions  in  the  group  meetings.  SHG  network  is  also supporting various national nutrition, health and sanitation campaigns. The IEC material shared by the host Ministry is circulated to the SHGs.  Further, it is  planned to develop an online learning mechanism for easy access to learning material and an online monitoring system to

track progress.

For SHGs, Ministry of Rural Development is focusing on 'Lakhpati' initiative, bank linkage and community funds for financial empowerment of SHG women. For awareness on nutrition, health and sanitation, online learning and monitoring  systems is being planned for strengthening quality standards and community participation.

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