PM POSHAN Scheme, or National Nutrition Mission, is a multi-ministerial convergence mission that began on March 8, 2018. It was earlier known as the Mid Day Meals Scheme. The mission aims to improve the nutritional status of children under six, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers in a time-bound manner using a collaborative and result-oriented approach. It is backed by the NITI Aayog’s National Nutrition Strategy, which aims to achieve “Kuposhan Mukt Bharat,” or malnutrition-free India, by 2022.

This topic of ‘POSHAN Abhiyaan National Nutrition Mission’ is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination, which falls under General Studies Paper 2 (Mains). 

In this article, we shall discuss ‘Poshan Abhiyaan National Nutrition Mission and learn about POSHAN Abhiyaan, Its background, objectives, significance, features, targets, Impact of Covid-19 on Malnutrition, & more in detail to boost your UPSC Online Coaching.

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What is PM POSHAN Abhiyan?

A multi-ministerial convergence flagship program of the Indian government, POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission, intends to eradicate malnutrition in India by 2022. The POSHAN Abhiyaan educates the public about the issues associated with malnutrition and offers workable solutions. The primary goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan are the holistic development and appropriate nourishment of expectant moms, new mothers, and kids.

The National Nutrition Mission of the NITI Aayog, which aspires to achieve "Kuposhan Mukt Bharat," or an India free of malnutrition, by 2022, supports POSHAN Abhiyaan. By making greater use of essential Anganwadi Services and improving the delivery of Anganwadi Services. $200 million has been set aside by the World Bank to finance the National Nutrition Mission's implementation.

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Background of PM POSHAN Abhiyaan

The PM POSHAN Abhiyaan, earlier known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, is a flagship program of the Government of India aimed at improving the nutritional status of school-going children. Launched in 1995 and rebranded in 2021, the scheme provides hot cooked meals to students of classes I to VIII in government and government-aided schools. It seeks to address classroom hunger, enhance school enrollment and attendance, and foster social equity. Under the Ministry of Education, the revamped PM POSHAN Abhiyaan emphasizes nutrition, school health, and community participation. It aligns with the broader goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those related to hunger and education.

Malnutrition Status in India

Malnutrition status of Children under 5 years of their age in India as per the recent report of the National Family Health Survey NFHS-5 (2019-21), conducted by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare:

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Objectives of the POSHAN Abhiyan or National Nutrition Mission are as follows:

• Address challenges of malnutrition.
• To contribute to India’s human capital development.
• Use effective strategies to address nutritional deficiencies.
• Improving the nutritional & health status of children in India.
• Encourage nutrition awareness and healthy eating habits for sustainable health and well-being.
• Real-time monitoring system powered by ICT.
• Providing incentives for Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) to use IT-based tools.
• It focuses on holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children.
• Nutrition counseling is provided to pregnant women and mothers with children up to the age of two through Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).

Features of POSHAN Abhiyaan are as follows:

• The POSHAN Abhiyaan is an umbrella scheme that monitors, supervises, sets targets, and guides nutrition-related interventions across Ministries.
• Poshan Abhiyaan monitors various schemes that contribute to addressing malnutrition in India.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan shall focus on Maternal Nutrition, Infant and Young Child Feeding Norms, and Treatment Protocols.
• Jan Andolan and Multi-Sectoral Interventions are the two main components of the POSHAN Abhiyan.
• It incentivizes Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) to use IT-based tools at the community level.
• Poshan Tracker App is designed for Aanganwadi workers and Anganwadi centers to enter beneficiary data into forms.
• It incentivizes states and UTs to meet their targets.
• It establishes Nutrition Resource Centers (NRCs) to increase public nutrition awareness through various social activities and audits.

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The major pillars of the National Nutrition Mission include:

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Components of Poshan Abhiyan

Some of the significant components of the Poshan Abhiyan include the following:

• Convergence: VHSND Day aims to facilitate coordination among different departments and ministries. The Abhiyaan seeks to bring together all nutrition-related schemes of MWCD for the target population. 
• ICDS-CAS: Nutritional status tracking will be digitized using software. Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Supervisors will receive mobile phones, and growth monitoring devices such as stadiometers, infantometers, and weighing scales will be provided.
• Behavioral change: The Abhiyaan will be conducted as a Jan Andolan, encouraging widespread public participation. Monthly community-based events will be held to raise awareness and address issues.
• Incentives: Frontline workers will be rewarded for their performance.
• Training and Capacity Building: An Incremental Learning Approach will be used to educate workers on 21 thematic modules. Master Trainers will provide training to frontline workers.
• Grievance Redressal: A call center will be established for easy access to solutions for any issues faced.

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PM POSHAN Abhiyaan Targets

The following are the targets of POSHAN Abhiyaan:

Note: The POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to reduce stunting in children aged 0 to 6 years from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.

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Report on National Nutrition Mission

NITI Aayog released its fourth progress report on the POSHAN Abhiyaan on September 1, 2022. The report's title is ‘Preserving Progress on Nutrition in India and Poshan Abhiyaan in Pandemic Times.”

Impact of Covid-19 on Malnutrition

The impact of Covid-19 on malnutrition in India is as follows:

• The Covid-19 pandemic has posed a risk to India’s food security landscape across all 4 indicators, including food availability, access, stability, and resource allocation.
• It could intensify the existing problem of malnutrition among women and children in India.
• According to recent studies, the covid-19 pandemic could increase malnutrition in India due to loss of livelihood and disruptions in the food and healthcare systems.

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Significance of POSHAN Abhiyaan

The significance of POSHAN Abhiyaan is as follows:

• It serves as the top national coordination and convergence body for nutrition.
• More than 10 crore people in India will benefit from the scheme.
• It improves the nutritional and health status of children aged 0 to 6, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls up to grass root level.
• Through its targets, the program will work to reduce the prevalence of anemia, low birth weight, stunting, and undernutrition.

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