On February 29, 2024, the Ministry of Women and Child Development hosted the Poshan Utsav at The Oberoi hotel in New Delhi. The purpose of the event was to draw attention to India’s continuous efforts to combat malnutrition by promoting healthy eating habits. Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smriti Zubin Irani and Mr. Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), graced the occasion.

The ‘Poshan Utsav Book’ was released at the event, curated by the Deendayal Research Institute (DRI). The goal of the book is to bring back historic nutrition practices while promoting intergenerational learning and knowledge sharing. It also acts as a thorough archive for appreciating the nation’s rich culinary history and nutrient diversity.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation remarked, “The Poshan Utsav book is a great example of incorporating local context and cultural practices to promote nutritional foods across India’s diverse communities.” He further added, “When you improve the life of a woman, there’s a ripple effect: You improve her community and her country. In India, we’ve seen that this kind of progress can be lasting and can be achieved on a massive scale.”

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Ms. Smriti Zubin Irani said that when Prime Minister Modi announced the Poshan Abhiyaan in 2018, it marked a historic moment for the country. For the first time, 18 Ministries across the Government of India came together under the national flagship program called Poshan Abhiyaan.

She emphasized that every anganwadi is digitally enabled so that service delivery to the last mile can be tracked. She also stated that handheld devices now are available to Anganwadi Centres across the country. Every month Anganwadi Didis measure 75 million children under the age of 6 years as per WHO standards.

She also stated that, in comparison to the data reported under the NFHS-5 survey, the numbers for SAM and MAM children have significantly decreased since Poshan Tracker went into operation.