The Ministry of Women and Child Development has intensified efforts to improve the nutrition of children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers through ‘Mission Saksham Anganwadi’ and ‘Poshan 2.0’. In this process, the ‘Poshan Tracker’ has emerged as a crucial tool for monitoring service delivery across the country.
Launched in 2021, the ‘Poshan Tracker’ monitors the functioning of Anganwadi centres, children’s attendance, growth monitoring, early childhood education activities, and the distribution of hot cooked meals and take-home rations. The government has also incorporated a Facial Recognition System (FRS) into the platform to ensure that ‘take-home rations’ reach only registered beneficiaries.
Under Mission Poshan 2.0, the beneficiaries in aspirational districts and Northeastern states include children under the age of six, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls aged 14–18. States and Union Territories implement this scheme with assistance from the Centre.
The Ministry stated that the new supplementary nutrition guidelines, implemented in January 2023, emphasize a balanced diet rich in high-quality protein, healthy fats, and essential micronutrients, rather than focusing solely on calorie intake. Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) children are provided with additional rations to take home.
To combat malnutrition, the Central Government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has launched a community-based management protocol. This initiative emphasizes the early detection of malnutrition, nutritional care at home, and awareness campaigns. Anganwadi workers are regularly conducting community outreach programs under Poshan Maah and ‘Poshan Pakhwada’ to promote healthy nutritional habits.
(PIB)
