The latest effort by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, led by GOI, aims to target malnutrition and lack of educational resources available to children and women in India’s most vulnerable sectors. The Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 initiative reflects this goal, with an interlinked strategy that aspires to support these downtrodden communities.
Understanding Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0
In the 2021-22 Financial Year, GOI revamped the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Poshan Abhiyaan into Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. The restructured initiative combines several sub-schemes such as ICDS, Poshan Abhiyaan, Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), and the National Creche Scheme into a comprehensive framework addressing malnutrition among children below six years, adolescent girls between 14 and 18 years, and pregnant or lactating women.
Poshan 2.0 Fund and Vision
Poshan 2.0 is a Centrally-sponsored scheme executed through State Governments/UT administrations and cost-shared between the Central Government and State Government. These laid strategies hope to minimize malnutrition cases and contribute to human capital development while promoting fundamental health awareness and habits. At the heart of this, an urgent response is needed to current nutritional deficiencies, prompting the integration of AYUSH systems under Poshan 2.0 for wellness and nourishment.
Objectives of Poshan 2.0
With a focus on human capital development, Poshan 2.0 hopes to tackle malnutrition challenges, stimulate nutrition awareness, and promote good eating habits for sustainable health and wellbeing. They plan to address nutrition-related deficiencies via key strategies such as the Supplementary Nutrition Programme under Anganwadi Services and integrating AYUSH systems for wellness and nourishment.
Scheme Components
Key components of Poshan 2.0 include nutritional support through the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP). This scheme targets children aged 6 months to 6 years, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls within Aspirational Districts and the North Eastern Region. Alongside this, the early stimulation initiative for 0-3 year-olds, and Early Childhood Care and Education for those aged 3-6, will be combined with modernized Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan Abhiyaan infrastructure.
Eligibility Guidelines
The proposed guidelines underline that the scheme is open to all eligible beneficiaries, provided they are registered at the nearest Anganwadi centre. Adolescent girls in the age range of 14-18 years are the main beneficiaries and will be identified by respective states.
The Ministry of AYUSH will help promote ‘Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family’ campaigns among AWCs and households, encouraging beneficiaries to practice yoga for better health. Moreover, the scheme also promotes using jaggery, fortifying meals with indigenous plants like drumsticks, and ingredients that provide higher energy intake in smaller food volumes.
Why Poshan 2.0?
Around 68% of Indian children below five die due to child and maternal malnutrition. Therefore, a comprehensive approach towards malnutrition could substantially improve their health and future prospects. The Poshan 2.0 scheme aims at this change, hoping that its implementation will reach the marginalized sectors promptly and effectively.
UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ) Prelims
A question from the previous UPSC Civil Services Examination Prelims asked about the objectives of the ‘National Nutrition Mission.’ The correct answer was options 1 and 2, which addressed creating malnutrition awareness among pregnant women and lactating mothers, and reducing the incidence of anemia among young children, adolescent girls, and women.