6th Rashtriya Poshan Maah

• 02 Sep 2023

For Prelims: Anganwadi Program, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), Government e-Market (GeM), POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition), PM POshan SHAkti Nirman (PM-POSHAN), National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.

For Mains: Significance and Objectives of Poshan Abhiyaan, Significance, Vision and Objectives of Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0

Source: PIB

Why in News?

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) is celebrating the 6^th Rashtriya Poshan Maah throughout September 2023.

What are the Key Highlights About Poshan Maah 2023?

• Focus & Objective:
  • The focus is on comprehensively addressing malnutrition using a life-cycle approach, which is a key component of Mission Poshan 2.0.
  • The main objective is to raise awareness about critical life stages, including pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, in order to promote better nutrition across India.
• Theme:
  • ‘Suposhit Bharat, Sakshar Bharat, Sashakt Bharat’ (Nutrition-rich India, Educated India, Empowered India), emphasising the importance of nutrition, education, and empowerment in building a healthier and stronger country.
• This Year’s Initiatives:
  • During this month-long event, the MoWCD will lead nationwide efforts to raise awareness about nutrition, focusing on key themes such as Exclusive Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding.
  • These efforts include activities like:
    • Swasth Balak Spardha (Healthy Child Competition) to encourage healthy competition for better nutrition and overall well-being.
    • Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (Nutrition and Education), improving nutrition through Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), sensitising tribal communities about nutrition, and addressing anaemia through a Test, Treat, Talk approach.
• 2022’s Progress:
  • During 2022 Poshan Maah, more than 170 million sensitization activities took place, focusing on key themes related to nutrition.
  • Over 600 million activities have been conducted as part of the Jan Andolan movement during Poshan Pakhwadas (March) and Poshan Maahs (September) each year.

What is Poshan Abhiyaan?

• About:
  • It is a flagship initiative by the Government of India (GoI) for addressing malnutrition comprehensively.
• Aim:
  • This integration aims to create an integrated nutrition support program that enhances the content, delivery, outreach, and overall outcomes of nutritional services.
  • The primary focus is on promoting practices that improve health, wellness, and immunity against diseases and malnutrition.
• Target Audience:
  • It targets pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls, and children under 6 years of age.
• Poshan Tracker App:
  • In 2021, the MoWCD launched an application called Poshan Tracker.
  • As of February 2022, the number of beneficiaries registered on Poshan Tracker:

What is Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0?

• About:
  • In FY 2021-22, the government restructured some schemes into Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0. It includes the following sub-schemes:
    • Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
    • POSHAN Abhiyaan
    • Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG)
    • National Creche Scheme
• Fund:
  • Poshan 2.0 is an ongoing Centrally-Sponsored Scheme being implemented through the State Govts/ UT administrations based on a cost-sharing ratio between the Central and the State Government.
• Vision:
  • Address the challenging situation of malnutrition among children up to the age of 6 years, adolescent girls (14-18 years) and pregnant and lactating women.
  • Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2 on Zero Hunger and SDG 4 on Quality Education) lies at the forefront of this programme design.
  • Focus on the fundamental importance of nutrition and early childhood care and education for the well-being, growth and development of children into healthy and productive adults.
• Components:
  • Nutrition Support for POSHAN through SNP for children of the age group of 06 months to 6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers (PWLM).
    • For Adolescent Girls in the age group of 14 to 18 years in Aspirational Districts and North Eastern Region (NER).
  • Early Childhood Care and Education (3-6 years) and early stimulation for (0-3 years).
  • Anganwadi Infrastructure including modern, upgraded Saksham Anganwadi, and Poshan Abhiyaan.

What are the Other Related Initiatives?

• Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyan
• The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)
• PM POshan SHAkti Nirman (PM-POSHAN).

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims

Q. Which of the following are the objectives of ‘National Nutrition Mission’? (2017)

1. To create awareness relating to malnutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers.
2. To reduce the incidence of anaemia among young children, adolescent girls and women.
3. To promote the consumption of millets, coarse cereals and unpolished rice.
4. To promote the consumption of poultry eggs.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 4 only
(d) 3 and 4 only

Ans: (a)