Why in News?
The 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month) was launched on 9 September 2026 at Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The theme for the year is “Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Jimmedari” focusing on the role of the Anganwadi Centres in nutrition, childcare and early childhood development.
Key Focus Areas
- Dietary Diversity and Adequate Protein: Encouraging balanced diets using cereals, millets, pulses, fruits, vegetables, nuts, milk, eggs and other locally available food items.
- Fresh Hot Cooked Meals: Enhancing the quality, hygiene and nutritional value of meals served at the Anganwadi Centres through rotation of menu items and quality testing.
- Community Ownership: Strengthening the Anganwadi Management Committees (AMCs) and displaying the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) Menu Boards for greater transparency and community monitoring.
- Nutrition and Early Childhood Development: Highlighting the importance of nutrition, early stimulation and cognitive development in the early years of life.
- PMMVY: The campaign marked 10 years of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) focusing on maternal nutrition, health-seeking behaviour and maternity support.
Why Are Anganwadi Centres Necessary?
- The Anganwadi Centres are the backbone of India’s grassroots nutrition and early childhood care system.
- They offer services related to supplementary nutrition, child development, growth monitoring, early childhood education and maternal care.
- As of 31 July 2026, India has nearly 13.99 lakh Anganwadi Centres supported by around 13.30 lakh Anganwadi Workers reaching nearly 8.94 crore beneficiaries.
Mission Poshan 2.0
Mission Poshan 2.0 is India’s unified national nutrition framework and is the brainchild of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It converges:
- POSHAN Abhiyaan: technology driven convergence and Jan Andolan
- Anganwadi Services/ICDS: supplementary nutrition and early childhood care
- Scheme for Adolescent Girls: nutritional support for adolescent girls
Poshan Tracker
The Poshan Tracker, launched on 1 March 2021, is India’s digital governance platform for tracking Anganwadi Services. It provides near real-time information on:
- Anganwadi Centre infrastructure
- Attendance of children
- Growth monitoring
- Early Childhood Care and Education
- Pregnant women and lactating mothers
- Children up to 6 years & Adolescent girls
Poshan Maah and Poshan Pakhwada
- The Rashtriya Poshan Maah is observed every year in September and is followed by a two-week nutrition focused campaign called Poshan Pakhwada conducted annually in April.
- The 8th Poshan Pakhwada 2026 was held from 9–23 April with the theme of ‘Maximizing Brain Development in the First Six Years of Life.’
