POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission)
Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Health and Nutrition Schemes · Topic 4.8
POSHAN Abhiyaan, the Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment and also called the National Nutrition Mission, was launched by the Prime Minister on 8 March 2018 at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. Run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, it set out to cut stunting, undernutrition, anaemia and low birth weight through convergence, technology and community mobilisation. Its approved outlay was Rs 9,046 crore over three years, with about half from the World Bank and other donors. The annual targets were 2 per cent for stunting, 2 per cent for undernutrition, 3 per cent for anaemia and 2 per cent for low birth weight. It is now part of Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Health and Nutrition Schemes
At a Glance
- Ministry Women and Child Development
- Launched 8 March 2018, Jhunjhunu
- Outlay Rs 9,046 crore, three years
- Focus Stunting, anaemia, wasting, birth weight
- Now part of Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Health and Nutrition Schemes
Where Does It Fit?
This is the eighth topic of the macro on health and nutrition. It is the nutrition mission that works through Anganwadi centres, which are covered in the next topic. Previous topic: Mission Indradhanush (Immunization). Next topic: Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
What Were the Targets and Tools of POSHAN Abhiyaan?
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Launch | 8 March 2018, International Women’s Day, at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, by the Prime Minister |
| Ministry | Ministry of Women and Child Development, with a National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges chaired by the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog |
| Stunting target | Reduce by 2 per cent a year among children aged 0 to 6, with a goal of bringing it to 25 per cent by 2022 under Mission 25 by 2022 |
| Other targets | Undernutrition down by 2 per cent a year, anaemia in young children, women and adolescent girls down by 3 per cent a year, and low birth weight down by 2 per cent a year |
| Funding | Rs 9,046 crore for 2017-18 to 2019-20, with 50 per cent of the budget from the World Bank and other multilateral sources and the rest from the Government of India |
| Technology | The ICDS Common Application Software and later the Poshan Tracker, with growth monitoring devices, smartphones for Anganwadi workers and a dashboard |
| Convergence | Ministries of Health, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and others work together at state and district levels |
How Does the Mission Reach People?
- Jan Andolan: a mass movement approach with Poshan Maah in September every year and Poshan Pakhwada in March, using campaigns on breastfeeding, nutrition and sanitation
- Anganwadi centres: the delivery point is the Anganwadi centre, with workers trained and equipped for growth monitoring, as in Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
- Incentives: Anganwadi workers get performance based incentives for using the technology and for tracking beneficiaries
- Poshan Tracker: launched in 2021, it is an application for real-time monitoring of nutrition services for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers
- Community monitoring: Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days and social audits help local bodies review service delivery
- Food fortification: fortified rice, iron and iodine are promoted, and fortified rice has been supplied under public schemes, as reported
- Millets: millets are promoted in nutrition programmes, which links with the International Year of Millets in 2023
- Behaviour change: messages on exclusive breastfeeding for six months, complementary feeding and handwashing are central
What Else Should You Remember?
- Why the mission: child stunting in India was around 38 per cent in NFHS-4 for 2015 to 2016, and the National Nutrition Mission was meant to speed up progress through a single focused effort
- NFHS-5 data: NFHS-5 for 2019 to 2021 showed stunting at 35.5 per cent, wasting at 19.3 per cent and underweight at 32.1 per cent among children under five
- Anaemia: anaemia among children aged 6 to 59 months was about 67 per cent and among women aged 15 to 49 about 57 per cent in NFHS-5, which showed that anaemia had worsened
- Merger: from 2021-22 the scheme was merged with Anganwadi Services and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls into Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, a Mission mode umbrella for the 15th Finance Commission cycle
- Poshan 2.0 aims: the new mission focuses on nutrition content, delivery, outreach, outcomes, innovation, and wellness through AYUSH practices
- Status after 2026: the continuation of Poshan 2.0 for the 16th Finance Commission cycle was being processed, and a state level approval of five-year continuation was reported, so the national decision should be checked in current releases
- Global Nutrition Targets: India has accepted the World Health Assembly targets for 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goal 2 on zero hunger
- Global Hunger Index: India ranked 105th out of 127 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2024, a ranking the government disputes, so this indicator is often cited in debates
- Criticism: critics point to weak growth monitoring, data quality and exclusion of eligible families from the Aadhaar based tracker
- Eggs and diets: the debate on adding eggs to meals has been political in some states, and diets are tied to local food habits
- Laws: the National Food Security Act, 2013 gives legal entitlements to supplementary nutrition for children and pregnant women
- Related: school meals under Mid-Day Meal Scheme (PM POSHAN) serve older children
Why Does It Matter for the Exam?
- Launch: 8 March 2018, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan
- Ministry: Women and Child Development
- Targets: 2, 2, 3 and 2 per cent a year
- Tools: Poshan Tracker and Poshan Maah in September
- Traps: POSHAN Abhiyaan is different from PM POSHAN, the school meal scheme of the Education Ministry
As an analytical point, India has cut stunting but anaemia has risen, which shows that nutrition needs diet diversity, sanitation, health care and women’s education, and not just meals. Sound data and community action matter as much as budgets.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Facts Launch, targets, tools
- Data NFHS indicators
- Mains Convergence and anaemia
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the older programme that runs the Anganwadi network. Next topic: Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
Key People and Terms
- Stunting Low height for age
- Wasting Low weight for height
- Anaemia Low haemoglobin
- Poshan Maah September campaign
- Poshan Tracker Monitoring app
- Jan Andolan People’s movement
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Launched: 8 March 2018, Jhunjhunu.
- Ministry: Women and Child Development.
- Outlay: Rs 9,046 crore.
- Month: Poshan Maah, September.
- Merged into: Poshan 2.0.
Do Not Confuse With
- POSHAN Abhiyaan and PM POSHAN Nutrition mission of WCD versus school meals of Education
- POSHAN Abhiyaan and ICDS Mission for outcomes versus the service delivery programme
- Stunting and wasting Low height for age versus low weight for height
Memory Hook
Eight March, Jhunjhunu: two, two, three, two, a mission for the first thousand days.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about why India still has high malnutrition. These points give a frame.
- Drivers Diet, sanitation, care, income
- Gaps Data and anaemia
- Way Convergence and local action
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Despite many schemes, malnutrition remains high in India. Examine the reasons and suggest measures, with reference to POSHAN Abhiyaan.”
How to Answer
- Intro Give NFHS-5 figures and POSHAN Abhiyaan.
- Reasons Diet, sanitation, health, poverty, gender.
- Gaps Data, anaemia, convergence.
- Way Diet diversity, WASH, women, monitoring.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is POSHAN Abhiyaan?
POSHAN Abhiyaan, or the National Nutrition Mission, is a flagship programme launched on 8 March 2018 by the Prime Minister at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. Run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, it aims to reduce stunting, undernutrition, anaemia and low birth weight through convergence, technology and community action.
Which ministry runs POSHAN Abhiyaan?
The Ministry of Women and Child Development runs POSHAN Abhiyaan. It works with the Ministries of Health, Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation and Panchayati Raj, and a National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges under the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog guides the mission at the national level.
What are the targets of POSHAN Abhiyaan?
The mission set annual targets of reducing stunting by 2 per cent, undernutrition by 2 per cent, anaemia among young children, women and adolescent girls by 3 per cent and low birth weight by 2 per cent. It also aimed to bring stunting down to 25 per cent by 2022.
What is the Poshan Tracker?
The Poshan Tracker is a mobile and web application launched in 2021 for real-time monitoring of nutrition services at Anganwadi centres. It records beneficiaries, growth measurements and supplementary nutrition delivery, and helps officials track outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers across states.
What is the latest status of POSHAN Abhiyaan?
Since 2021-22, POSHAN Abhiyaan has been part of the umbrella mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, along with Anganwadi Services and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls. NFHS-5 recorded stunting of 35.5 per cent, and continuation for the next cycle should be checked in official releases.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.
On 8 March 2018.
2 POSHAN Abhiyaan is run by the Ministry of Education.
It is run by Women and Child Development.
3 The mission targets a 2 per cent a year reduction in stunting.
Anaemia target is 3 per cent a year.
4 POSHAN Abhiyaan is now part of Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.
The merger took effect in 2021-22.
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