Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0)

Overview

Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) is the Government of India’s flagship Centrally Sponsored Scheme for addressing malnutrition and strengthening early childhood care across the country. Launched for the 15th Finance Commission period (2021-22 to 2025-26), it merges three previously separate schemes — Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission), and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls — into a single integrated nutrition delivery framework under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

In the Union Budget 2025-26, the scheme received an allocation of ₹21,960 crore — up from ₹20,070.90 crore in the previous year — making it the largest single scheme under MoWCD, accounting for over 80% of the Ministry’s total budget.

Key Components

Nutrition Support and Supplementary Nutrition Programme

• Targets children in the 0-6 age group, pregnant and lactating women, and adolescent girls aged 14-18 years (in Aspirational Districts and North-Eastern States).
• Provides Take Home Ration (THR) and Hot Cooked Meals (HCM) through Anganwadi Centres.
• Millets inclusion: Mandated at least once weekly in THR and HCM to improve nutritional diversity.
• POSHAN Vatikas (kitchen/nutri-gardens) promoted near Anganwadi Centres for locally grown nutritious food.
• AYUSH practices integrated for stunting and anaemia reduction.

POSHAN Tracker — Technology Platform

• Real-time digital monitoring platform for tracking nutritional status of all beneficiaries.
• As of February 28, 2025: all ~13.97 lakh Anganwadi Centres registered on POSHAN Tracker with 10.12 crore beneficiaries tracked.
• Available in 24 languages including Hindi and English.
• Uses growth monitoring devices for dynamic identification of nutrition deficiencies.
• District Magistrate designated as the nodal authority for monitoring at the district level.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) — Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi

• Dedicated initiative for quality early childhood education at Anganwadi Centres.
• Corpus: ₹600 crore.
• Mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction (in line with NEP 2020).
• Minimum 2 hours daily of high-quality pre-school instruction.
• NIPCCD (National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development) provides training to Anganwadi workers.

Saksham Anganwadi — Infrastructure Upgradation

• Modernisation of Anganwadi Centres with improved infrastructure, equipment, and digital tools.
• 2 lakh Anganwadi Centres upgraded for better nutrition and early childhood care delivery (as of 2025).
• 11,000 Saksham Anganwadi Centres inaugurated during Poshan Maah.

Implementation Framework

• Fund sharing pattern: 60:40 (Centre:State) for general States; 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan States; 100% Central share for UTs without legislature.
• Convergence approach: Links with Ayushman Bharat, Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, and National Education Policy 2020.
• District Magistrate is the nodal point for implementation monitoring at the district level.
• POSHAN Maah (Nutrition Month) celebrated every September to promote awareness on nutrition.

Latest Developments

• Union Budget 2025-26: Allocation increased to ₹21,960 crore from ₹20,070.90 crore — a hike of approximately ₹1,889 crore.
• All ~13.97 lakh Anganwadi Centres registered on POSHAN Tracker as of February 2025, with 10.12 crore beneficiaries tracked digitally.
• 2 lakh Anganwadi Centres upgraded to Saksham Anganwadi standard with better infrastructure and early childhood care facilities (2025).
• Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi operationalised with ₹600 crore corpus for ECCE, aligning with NEP 2020’s emphasis on mother-tongue instruction.
• Millets integration mandated in supplementary nutrition — at least once weekly in THR and HCM at all Anganwadi Centres.

Prelims Importance

• Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 merges three schemes: ICDS + POSHAN Abhiyaan + Scheme for Adolescent Girls.
• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (not Central Sector) — fund sharing 60:40 with States.
• POSHAN Tracker covers ~13.97 lakh Anganwadi Centres and 10.12 crore beneficiaries (Feb 2025).
• District Magistrate is the nodal monitoring authority — not the BDO or CDO.
• Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi has a ₹600 crore corpus for ECCE; instruction medium is mother tongue.
• Budget 2025-26: ₹21,960 crore — largest scheme under MoWCD.
• POSHAN Vatikas = kitchen/nutri-gardens near Anganwadi Centres.
• Adolescent girls (14-18 years) covered only in Aspirational Districts and NE States.
• NIPCCD provides Anganwadi worker training under Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi.
• POSHAN Tracker available in 24 languages.

Mains & Interview Importance

GS Paper 2 (Governance & Social Justice): Government schemes for nutrition and child development; ICDS restructuring; role of technology (POSHAN Tracker) in improving governance outcomes; convergence of health, nutrition, and education schemes.

GS Paper 2 (Health): India’s malnutrition challenge — stunting, wasting, underweight children; anaemia in women; role of supplementary nutrition programmes; comparison with global nutrition frameworks.

Possible Mains Questions:

• POSHAN 2.0 merges multiple nutrition schemes under a single umbrella. Critically evaluate whether this convergence has improved nutritional outcomes compared to the earlier fragmented approach.
• The POSHAN Tracker has digitised beneficiary monitoring across 13.97 lakh Anganwadi Centres. Discuss how technology-driven governance can address India’s persistent malnutrition challenge while also noting the limitations of digital solutions in rural India.

Interview Angle: “India has nearly 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres and tracks over 10 crore beneficiaries digitally — yet NFHS-5 shows 35.5% of children under 5 are stunted. Where is the disconnect between institutional reach and nutritional outcomes?”