2 Lakh Anganwadi Centres Upgraded to Saksham Anganwadi for Better Nutrition and ECCE
UPSC / SSC current affairs note
Why in news
The government has approved upgrading 2 lakh Anganwadi centres to Saksham Anganwadi under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 to improve nutrition and early childhood care and education. This move aims to tackle malnutrition with better infrastructure and revised nutritional norms.
Background
Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyan, and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls were merged into Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0), a centrally sponsored mission implemented by states/UTs. Beneficiaries include children under 6, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls (14-18 years in aspirational districts and NE region).
Key facts
2 lakh Anganwadi centres upgraded to Saksham Anganwadi with LED screens, water purifiers, nutrition gardens, ECCE material, and Building as Learning Aid (BALA) paintings.
Supplementary nutrition provided as per Schedule-II of NFSA 2013, revised in January 2023 to focus on dietary diversity rather than just calories.
Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) children receive additional take-home rations.
Digital monitoring via 'Poshan Tracker' application for real-time data entry and tracking of beneficiaries and activities.
Joint protocol by MWCD and MoHFW for management of severe acute malnutrition in children.
Community-based events (CBEs) mandatory twice a month per Anganwadi worker to promote nutrition awareness.
Poshan Maah (September) and Poshan Pakhwada (March-April) observed for community mobilization.
Third-party evaluation by NITI Aayog in 2020 found Poshan Abhiyan satisfactory; outcome-based evaluation done in 2025.
Prelims pointers
- Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0)
- Poshan Tracker
- NFSA 2013 Schedule-II nutritional norms revised Jan 2023
- SAM: Severely Acute Malnourished
- ECCE: Early Childhood Care and Education
- BALA: Building as Learning Aid
- Poshan Maah (September), Poshan Pakhwada (March-April)
- NITI Aayog evaluation 2020 and 2025
Mains angles
- Discuss the effectiveness of Mission Poshan 2.0 in addressing malnutrition in India.
- Critically examine the role of Anganwadi centres in early childhood care and education.
- Analyze the impact of revised nutritional norms under NFSA on child nutrition outcomes.
- Evaluate the use of digital tools like Poshan Tracker in governance and service delivery.