Published on 17 Feb 2025
POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched in 2018 to achieve improvement in the nutritional status of children from 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers in a time-bound manner and to achieve a reduction in stunting and wasting in children as well as a reduction in anaemia in women, children and adolescent girls.
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Targets |
Achievement / Present status |
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✔ Prevent and reduce stunting in children(0-6 years) by 6% with 2% every year. |
✔ As per NFHS-5, stunting has reduced from 38.4% to 35.5%. |
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✔ Prevent and reduce undernutrition (underweight prevalence) in children(0-6 years) by 6%with 2% every year. |
✔ As per NFHS-5, underweight prevalence has reduced from 35.8% to 32.1%. |
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✔ Reduce the prevalence of anaemia among young children (6-59 months) by 9% with 3% every year. |
✔ As per NFHS-5, 67% of children (6 to 59 months) are anaemic. |
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✔ Reduce the prevalence of anaemia among women and adolescent girls in the age group of 15-49 years by 9% with 3% every year. |
✔ As per NFHS-5, 59% of adolescent girls and 52% of pregnant women are anaemic |
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✔ Reduce low birth weight(LBW) by 6% with 2% every year. |
✔ As per NFHS-5, wasting has reduced from 21% to 19.3%. |
Poshan Abhiyan 2.0
Poshan 2.0 was announced in the 2021-22 Budget, by merging the POSHAN Abhiyan and the supplementary nutrition programme. The umbrella scheme covers ICDS, Anganwadi Services, the Scheme for Adolescent Girls, the National Creche Scheme and Poshan Abhiyaan.
Challenges in the implementation of the POSHAN Abhiyan
✔ Awareness and outreach: Lack of awareness about the importance of nutrition and limited outreach to remote and marginalized communities making it difficult to ensure that all eligible individuals are covered.
● Example: 85% of Indians are unaware of plant-sourced proteins while around 50% of Indians are unaware of healthy fats.
✔ Infrastructure and resources: Inadequate infrastructure in rural areas can hinder the effective delivery of services related to nutrition and health and insufficient human resources may impact the program's implementation.
● Example: Around half of the rural children suffer from stunting and 21% from wasting. It is 40% and 17% in urban areas. This difference is mainly due to resource and infrastructure deficits.
✔ Monitoring and evaluation: Lack of a robust data management system to track beneficiaries and measure progress effectively.
✔ Coordination among departments: Poshan Abhiyan involves multiple sectors including health, women and child welfare, ensuring effective coordination among these departments can be a challenge.
✔ Funding constraints: Adequate and sustained funding is crucial for the success of any public health program.
● Example: The allocation towards Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 in the FY 22 budget and FY 23 budget has been lower than the allocation for its components in FY 21.
Way Forward
✔ Supply chain management: Implement efficient supply chain management systems to achieve the timely and consistent delivery of nutritional supplements and other essential items.
✔ Gender-sensitive approaches: Integrate gender-sensitive approaches to address disparities and empower women in making informed decisions about nutrition.
✔ Enhance awareness: Conduct extensive awareness campaigns to educate communities about the importance of nutrition through initiatives like POSHAN Maah.
By addressing these aspects, individuals and communities can contribute to the success and sustainability of Poshan Abhiyan or any nutrition-focused program, ultimately improving the health and wellbeing of women and children.
Social Justice
POSHAN Abhiyan
Hunger
POSHAN Maah
Maternal and child health
General Studies Paper 2
Social Justice
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