SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | SDG 5: Gender Equality
Institutions: Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD)
The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) concluded the month-long 8th Rashtriya Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month), observed from September 17 to October 16, 2025. The initiative was celebrated across the nation as a Jan Andolan (People’s Movement) under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. This year’s overarching theme was “Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar” (Healthy Woman, Empowered Family), emphasizing that women’s health and nutrition are fundamental to achieving the vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India).
The month drove comprehensive awareness and behavioral change across multiple themes, including Reducing Sugar and Oil Consumption, Addressing Obesity, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), and promoting Vocal for Local for grassroots self-reliance. This year’s Poshan Maah successfully mobilized various Ministries and community organizations in a “Whole-of-Government, Whole-of-Society” approach to secure a Suposhit Bharat (nourished India).
The focus on non-traditional areas like obesity and reduced sugar/oil consumption signals a policy evolution from solely fighting undernutrition to adopting a holistic, preventative public health approach that addresses dual burdens of malnutrition, thereby laying a stronger foundation for human capital development.
What is Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0? Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (often called Poshan 2.0) is the Central Government’s Integrated Nutrition Support Programme that consolidates and re-organizes existing schemes like the Anganwadi Services, POSHAN Abhiyaan, and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls. Its aim is to combat malnutrition among children (0-6 years), pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls through a strategic shift in nutrition content and delivery. It also focuses on upgrading Anganwadi infrastructure and using the Poshan Tracker (a real-time ICT monitoring system) to track beneficiaries and improve service delivery effectiveness.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What specific metric shifts (beyond coverage) is the MoWCD tracking through the Poshan Tracker to measure the behavioral change resulting from the “Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar” theme?
Follow the full news here: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2179717