New Delhi: The Centre has approved the upgradation of two lakh Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) into Saksham Anganwadis under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, aimed at improving nutrition services and early childhood care and education across the country.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said the mission integrates Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyaan and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls under a single umbrella programme to tackle malnutrition and promote holistic child development.
The upgraded Saksham Anganwadis will be equipped with enhanced infrastructure, including LED screens, water filtration systems, Poshan Vatikas (nutrition gardens), Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) learning material, and Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) paintings to create a child-friendly learning environment.
The mission covers children below six years of age, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls, including those in Aspirational Districts and the North-Eastern region. Supplementary nutrition is provided in accordance with the revised nutrition norms under the National Food Security Act, 2013, with additional Take Home Ration (THR) for Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) children.
The government said implementation of the programme is digitally monitored through the Poshan Tracker, which enables near real-time monitoring of Anganwadi centres, workers and beneficiaries across the country.
To improve the management of malnutrition, the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have jointly issued a protocol for the identification and treatment of severely acute malnutrition, promoting community-based care and early intervention.
The Centre also highlighted awareness initiatives under Poshan Maah and Poshan Pakhwada, during which states and Union Territories conduct nutrition campaigns and community-based events to encourage healthy dietary practices.
According to the government, a 2025 outcome-based evaluation by NITI Aayog found that Mission Poshan 2.0 has strengthened India’s approach to tackling malnutrition. The assessment also noted an 8.5-percentage-point decline in anaemia among children aged 6-59 months, reflecting the impact of iron-folic acid supplementation, fortified foods and improved nutrition outreach under the programme.
