The Ministry of Women and Child Development has implemented various measures under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 to improve nutritional outcomes and strengthen Anganwadi services across India. The centerpiece of these efforts is the 'Poshan Tracker' digital application, an ICT-based governance tool that enables continuous monitoring and tracking of all services provided to beneficiaries registered at Anganwadi Centres. This technology is being leveraged for dynamic identification of stunting, wasting, and under-weight prevalence among children under 5 years of age, with state-wise and year-wise nutrition indicators available on the Poshan Tracker dashboard.
A significant infrastructure upgrade involves the approval of two lakh Anganwadi Centres located in government buildings to be upgraded as Saksham Anganwadis. These centers are equipped with improved infrastructure including LED screens, water filtration systems, Poshan Vatika gardens, Early Childhood Care and Education materials, and Building as Learning Aid paintings to support both nutrition delivery and educational activities.
The nutrition program provides Supplementary Nutrition in the form of Hot Cooked Meal and Take-Home Ration to children (6 months to 6 years), pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls, following the nutrition norms specified in Schedule-II of the National Food Security Act, 2013. Severely Acute Malnourished children receive additional nutrition through Take-Home Ration.
The Ministry has collaborated with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to release a Protocol for Management of Malnutrition in Children, aimed at preventing and treating severe acute malnutrition while reducing associated morbidity and mortality. Frontline functionaries are empowered through the provision of smartphones with data recharge facilities, and each Anganwadi Centre is equipped with Growth Monitoring Devices including Infantometer, Stadiometer, Weighing Scale-Infant, and Weighing Scale-Mother & Child for regular growth monitoring of registered beneficiaries.
Anganwadi Workers conduct structured home visits to support pregnant women, lactating mothers, and young children (0-3 years) through nutrition counselling, caregiving guidance, and promotion of early childhood development. Community mobilization efforts include Jan Andolans in the form of Poshan Maah (celebrated in September) and Poshan Pakhwada (celebrated in March-April) to educate people on nutritional aspects and promote behavioral change towards better nutrition habits.
Additionally, Poshan Vatikas are being established at Anganwadi Centers across the country to encourage consumption of local and seasonal fruits and vegetables, thereby improving diet diversity and increasing micronutrient intake. This information was formally presented by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development Smt. Savitri Thakur in response to a question in the Lok Sabha.