Poshan Abhiyan was launched in 2018 as a flagship scheme to transform Bharat’s nutritional landscape. With its emphasis on inclusive growth and social development, the Abhiyan has emerged as a key driver in our journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047. In pursuit of this goal, the ministry of women and child development is resolved to build a New Bharat where every child is well-nourished, every mother is empowered, and every citizen can thrive.
Through Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, we aim to improve nutritional outcomes in children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers and to promote practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity. The nucleus of the operation is a network of 14 lakh anganwadi centres through which the ministry is supporting around 10 crore beneficiaries.
The ministry is supporting the health and nutrition of over 8 crore children. At the heart of this effort is the Supplementary Nutrition Programme, delivering wholesome hot cooked meals to children and take-home rations to all beneficiaries, aiming to bridge the crucial gap between the recommended dietary allowance and the average daily intake. By embracing diet diversity and championing local and traditional foods like Shri Anna—millets, jowar, bajra, ragi, etc—we are endeavouring to ensure that every child receives the fuel they need to learn, grow, and thrive.
While we have made headway in creating a programme to address stunting and wasting among children, we are aiming to address another major nutrition indicator—overweight incidence and obesity. According to the World Health Organization, childhood obesity can have dire consequences for children as they enter adulthood, increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases like type-2 diabetes.
A study by the Southern California, Berkeley and McGill universities found that children facing sugar restrictions during their first 1,000 days, including in utero during pregnancy, showed a lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes and hypertension as adults.
To address this, and to improve the quality of supplementary nutrition, the ministry has issued an advisory to states/UTs keeping in line with recommendations from the WHO and National Institute of Nutrition (NIN).
According to WHO, sugar intake should be reduced to 10% of the total daily energy intake for adults as well as children.
The NIN recommends no added sugar for children under the age of 2 years and recommends that sugar be less than 5% of the daily energy intake for all ages and gender groups, including pregnant women, as part of a balanced diet.
Our ministry has advised states/UTs to restrict the use of refined sugar, to use jaggery where needed and, even then, to restrict it to less than 5% of the total intake. We have requested that salt use be minimised too. We are encouraging the reduction of sweet offerings as part of the morning snack and hot cooked meals.
We are encouraging the development of THR recipes that exclude added salt and sugar, and restrict the use of foods high in fat, salt, and sugar. We have urged that ingredients must comply with the Food Safety and Standards Regulation, 2011 and Food Safety and Standards (Food for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020. By saying no to excess sugar, India is saying yes to a future free from obesity and related diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
To promote traditional food, the ministry offers Pushtahar, nutritious premixes made from seasonal, local ingredients and cereals like ragi, millets, and Bengal gram. Pushtahar is a healthier and more versatile alternative to store-bought mixes, providing local, seasonal flavours and wholesome nutrition.
Our Hon’ble Prime Minister stated, “by making small changes in our food habits, we can make our future stronger, fitter and disease-free.” In this Amrit Kaal, our children should have access to nutritious food and adequate calories. More importantly, the food they have should not only be adequate, but wholesome, contributing to their holistic growth and development.
Annpurna Devi
Union Minister of Women and Child Development.
