Varanasi: The 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month) was launched in Varanasi on Wednesday, with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi and UP Cabinet Minister for Women Welfare, Child Development and Nutrition Baby Rani Maurya attending the programme at the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre.
Thousands of Anganwadi workers participated in the launch, which marks the beginning of the month-long nutrition campaign to be observed across States and Union Territories during September.
The campaign is being organised under the theme “Hamari Anganwadi Hamari Jimmedari” (Our Anganwadi, Our Responsibility), placing Anganwadi Centres at the heart of community-led efforts on nutrition, health, childcare and early childhood development.
Five Key Focus Areas
The 2026 edition will build on the revised Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) guidelines under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. The campaign will focus on:
- Dietary diversity and adequate protein: Anganwadi Centres will organise recipe demonstrations, Poshan Melas and awareness activities promoting balanced diets and protein-rich foods using locally available ingredients.
- Fresh hot-cooked meals: States and Union Territories will be encouraged to implement weekly menus featuring millets, pulses and seasonal vegetables at Anganwadi Centres.
- Community ownership and accountability: Anganwadi Management Committees will be constituted and made operational to improve community participation and oversight. SNP menu boards will also display information on daily menus and entitlements.
- Nutrition, early stimulation and childhood education: Anganwadi workers will track developmental milestones among children aged 0–3 years, while children aged 3–6 years will participate in early-learning activities, ECCE Days and exposure visits to nearby government primary schools.
- Ten years of PMMVY: The campaign will mark a decade of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), with a proposed 100% saturation drive for eligible pregnant and lactating women and efforts to expedite Direct Benefit Transfers.
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Anganwadi Centres as Community Nutrition Hubs
The campaign follows the Government’s broader approach of using Anganwadi Centres as grassroots platforms for nutrition, health, care and early learning. The revised SNP guidelines have, for the first time, formally defined hot-cooked meals and mandated SNP menu boards, while also providing for Anganwadi Management Committees.
During the launch, the programme also featured a Poshan Mela, beneficiary experiences related to hot-cooked meals, take-home ration and early childhood care, and an interaction between the Union Minister and Anganwadi workers.
Rashtriya Poshan Maah is observed every September and has evolved from a government campaign into a community mobilisation initiative aimed at improving nutrition and caregiving practices among women, children and adolescents. Poshan Abhiyaan was launched in 2018 to place nutrition at the centre of India’s development agenda.
The 2026 campaign will continue throughout September through activities at Anganwadi Centres, schools, panchayats and households, with the broader objective of strengthening the foundation of a Suposhit Bharat as part of the vision for Viksit Bharat 2047.
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