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Poshan Abhiyaan: Why First 1000 Days Matter for Kids’ Health

Poshan Abhiyaan: India’s Flagship Nutrition Mission

Poshan Abhiyaan (also known as the National Nutrition Mission) is the Government of India’s flagship program launched to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. It is a multi-ministerial convergence mission launched with the goal of achieving a “Malnutrition-Free India”.

📌 Key Details at a Glance

Feature	Details
Launched by	Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Launch Date	March 8, 2018 (on International Women’s Day)
Ministry in charge	Ministry of Women and Child Development
Target Groups	Children (0–6 years), adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers
Major Tools	Convergence, technology, real-time monitoring, and community engagement
Target Year	2022 (initial goal), extended as an ongoing mission

🎯 Objectives of Poshan Abhiyaan

1. Reduce stunting in children (0–6 years) from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.

2. Reduce undernutrition, anemia, and low birth weight.

3. Promote behavior change through Jan Andolan (people’s movement).

4. Improve monitoring using technology and real-time data.

5. Enhance capacity building of frontline workers like Anganwadi workers.

📊 Key Targets (original)

Nutritional Indicator	Targeted Reduction Per Year
Stunting (children 0–6)	2%
Underweight	2%
Anemia (children & women)	3%
Low birth weight	2%

🔧 Implementation Strategy

• Convergence Approach: Brings together ministries like Health, Rural Development, Education, etc., for a coordinated effort.

• ICT-Based Monitoring: The ICDS-CAS app enables real-time monitoring of nutrition and health indicators.

• Jan Andolan Movement: Community-based activities like Poshan Maah (Nutrition Month) and Poshan Pakhwada(Fortnight) are organized to spread awareness.

• Community Participation: Involves panchayats, self-help groups, NGOs, and youth.

🌾 Recent Initiatives Under Poshan Abhiyaan

• Poshan 2.0: In 2021, the mission was merged with other food and nutrition-related schemes like Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP) and Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) to form Mission Poshan 2.0.

• Rashtriya Poshan Maah: Celebrated every September to drive community participation and awareness.

• Growth Monitoring Devices: Anganwadi centers are equipped with measuring devices and smartphones.

📈 Impact So Far

• Increased awareness around nutrition and early child care.

• Improved use of technology in monitoring.

• Enhanced training of Anganwadi workers.

• Strengthened focus on first 1000 days of a child’s life.

However, challenges like data reliability, inter-ministerial coordination, and regional disparities remain.

📢 Popular Messages from Poshan Abhiyaan

• “Har Ghar Poshan, Har Bharatiya Roshan”

• “Sahi Poshan, Desh Roshan” (Right Nutrition, Bright Nation)

• “Kuposhan Mukt Bharat” (Malnutrition-Free India)