Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0: The Ministry of Women and Child Development has recently released Operational Guidelines for the implementation of Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. These guidelines aim to encourage Aadhaar seeding among beneficiaries, ensuring better tracking of distribution of take-home rations and monitoring the movement of pregnant women and lactating mothers.
What is Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0?
In the Financial Year (FY) 2021-22, the Government of India (GoI) reorganized the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) into Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0.
The restructured scheme includes the following sub-schemes:
- ICDS
- POSHAN Abhiyaan
- Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG)
- National Creche Scheme
Poshan 2.0 is a continuously running centrally-sponsored program implemented through state governments and union territory administrations, operating under a cost-sharing arrangement between the Central Government and the respective State Governments/UT administrations.
Vision
- Poshan 2.0 aims to tackle the prevalent issue of malnutrition among children up to 6 years old, adolescent girls aged 14-18 years, and pregnant and lactating women.
- It is crucial for India’s development because women and children make up over two-thirds of the country’s population.
- The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals lies at the fore-front of this programme design.
- It will contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 2 on Zero Hunger and SDG 4 on Quality Education.
- The mission will prioritize the fundamental importance of nutrition, early childhood care, and education for the well-being, growth, and development of children, ensuring they grow into healthy and productive adults.
Objectives
- To formulate a comprehensive strategy to tackle the challenge of malnutrition, the Supplementary Nutrition Programme under Anganwadi Services will be instrumental.
- The Scheme for Adolescent Girls and the Poshan Abhiyaan have been integrated under Poshan 2.0 as a unified Nutrition Support Programme.
The goals of Poshan 2.0 include:
- Contributing to the development of the country’s human capital.
- Tackling the issues of malnutrition.
- Promoting awareness of nutrition and encouraging healthy eating habits for long-term health and well-being.
- Addressing nutrition-related deficiencies through targeted strategies.
- Incorporating AYUSH systems into Poshan 2.0 for enhanced wellness and nourishment.
Guidelines
- The scheme is accessible to all eligible beneficiaries, with registration at the nearest Anganwadi centre and Aadhaar identification as the sole requirement.
- Beneficiaries will primarily include adolescent girls aged 14-18, identified by respective state authorities.
- AYUSH will promote campaigns such as ‘Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family’ in Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) and households, encouraging beneficiaries to practice yoga for health benefits.
- The Ministry of AYUSH will provide technical support for implementing the scheme.
- Efforts will be made to ensure 100% measurement of children participating in the scheme.
- The scheme advocates using jaggery, fortifying foods with indigenous plants like moringa (sahjan/drumstick), and incorporating ingredients that offer higher energy intake in smaller portions of food.