The Ministry of Women and Child Development has approved the upgradation of 200,000 Anganwadi Centres into Saksham Anganwadis under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 for improved nutrition and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) activities.
Saksham Anganwadis — scope
- Definition: Upgraded Anganwadi Centres with enhanced infrastructure and ECCE inputs for children (0–6 years), pregnant and lactating women, and adolescent girls.
- Integrated schemes: Mission subsumes Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls.
Key infrastructure and digital features
- Physical upgrades: LED screens, water filtration, Poshan Vatikas, ECCE materials, and Building-as-Learning-Aid paintings.
- Digital systems: Poshan Tracker for real‑time monitoring; Aadhaar-based beneficiary verification; Facial Recognition used for Take‑Home Ration distribution.
Scale, financing and milestones
- Approvals: 200,000 centres approved for upgradation (25 July 2026).
- Prior progress: 1,04,403 centres upgraded as Saksham by 25 March 2026.
- Budget: Mission Poshan 2.0 allocation for FY 2025–26: Rs. 21,960 crore.
- Training: Over 1,000,000 Anganwadi Workers trained under Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (by 16 March 2026).
State-wise approvals (selected)
- Madhya Pradesh: 24,662 centres.
- Uttar Pradesh: 23,697 centres.
- Karnataka: 17,732 centres.
- Jharkhand: 16,775 centres.
- Odisha: 12,140 centres.
- Jammu & Kashmir: 338 centres.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- Evaluation: NITI Aayog conducted third‑party evaluations in 2020 and 2025.
- Beneficiary coverage: ECCE targets children below six; integrated provisions include adolescent girls aged 14–18 in specified districts.
- Implementation: Centrally sponsored scheme with state-level delivery and ICT-based governance for accountability.