What is Poshan Abhiyan? Check its objectives, focus area and Launch Date in April 2025

Poshan Abhiyan was launched on March 8, 2018 in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. Poshan Abhiyaan is a national initiative aimed at improving the nutritional level of children in adolescent girls, pregnant women and nursing mothers, and should be between 0-6 years of age. The program uses technology, cross-departmental teamwork, and community engagement to reduce problems such as malnutrition, malnutrition, anemia and low birth weight in children. The 7th edition of Poshan Pakhwada will be organized from April 8, 2025 to April 23, 2025. PoshanAbhiyan aims to promote a healthy and nutritious diet for children and women. In this article, we will introduce in detail Poshan Abhiyan, its features and objectives, and its 7th edition of Poshan Pakhwada.

Poshan Pakhwada 2025 (April 8 to April 23)

Every child should have a healthy start, every mother should receive proper nutrition, and every family should receive nutritious food. However, for the millions in India, malnutrition remains a silent crisis- not only affecting… pic.twitter.com/z4yeiddtaa

– Indian PIB (@pib_india) April 7, 2025

What is Poshan Abhiyan?

Poshan Abhiyaan, also known as the National Nutrition Mission, is a transformative initiative that brings ministries under an umbrella with a shared vision – creating a malnutrition-free India. The goal of this task to reduce block, malnutrition, anemia and low birth weight is to ensure the health and nutritional health of pregnant women and the health and nutritional well-being of nursing mothers.

Essentially, Abhiyaan is not about making new plans, but weaving many existing plans together. Although India has long had some nutrition-related programs, the lack of synergy and coordination is the main obstacle. Poshan Abhiyaan solves this gap by establishing a strong convergence mechanism. It focuses on aligning work, increasing efficiency, and ensuring that every part of the system supports each other towards a common goal: better nutrition.

The Department of Women and Child Development (MWCD) is the helm of the mission. In the first year, the program was launched in 315 regions and increased by 235 in the second year. The rest of the areas were brought under the initiative in Phase III to ensure coverage nationwide.

What are the characteristics of Poshan Abhiyan?

Poshan Abhiyan focuses primarily on ensuring everyone works together to fight malnutrition. The following are its main features, which are briefly explained:

  • Overall Monitoring: Poshan Abhiyan has been paying attention to all nutritional plans that are taking place in the country. It checks if everything works well and if the different departments move in the same direction.
  • Integration of Programs: It brings together all government programs related to nutrition, so they work in a team rather than alone.
  • Use of technology: Use digital tools to observe progress in real time for tasks. This helps ensure everything is transparent and on track.
  • Incentives for good performance: States, union territory and Anganwadi workers (AWWS) receive rewards when they reach their goals and use the technology correctly.
  • Digital Records on the Ground: Anganwadi Center now uses digital tools instead of paper records. This helps to collect and manage data more effectively.
  • Tracking children’s growth: Children’s height and growth are measured regularly at the Anganwadi Center. This helps resolve any health issues as early as possible.
  • Community Engagement: By Jan Andolan Exercise, encourage public participation in disseminating awareness of good nutrition.
  • Support and Training Centre: Special centres are being set up to provide training and share useful information with local workers and communities

Together, these characteristics help with malnutrition and build a healthier future for India.

Despite various plans and plans over the years, India is still facing serious malnutrition challenges. Poshan Abhiyaan brings a unified, comprehensive approach to making nutrition a shared responsibility – governments, institutions, communities and individuals come together to build a healthier future.

What is Poshan Abhiyan’s goal?

Poshan Abhiyan’s main goal is to reduce developmental delay, malnutrition and anemia. All of its goals are given in the following target groups in the table:

Objective

Target group

Reduce developmental delay

Children (0-6 years old)

Reduce nutritional inadequacy

Children (0-6 years old)

Reduce the rate of anemia

Children (6-59 months), women (15-49 years old), pubertal girls

Reduce low birth weight

Newborn

How many pillars does Poshan Abhiyan have?

Poshan Abhiyan has four pillars:

  1. Quality Services access the following programs through the program:
  • ICD (Integrated Child Development Service)
  • NHM (National Health Mission)
  • PMMVY (Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana)
  • Cross-departmental coordination among departments
    • Health (Swachh Bharat mission)
    • Clean drinking water (National Drinking Water Mission)
  • Technical use
    • The Poshan Tracker app helps monitor nutrition data in real time.
  • Community Engagement – Jan Andolan
    • Encourage public participation to raise awareness and drive change.

    In what areas does Poshan Abhiyan focus mainly on?

    🔶The first 1,000 days are the most important

    From pregnancy to the second birthday of the baby is a critical period:

    • Physical growth
    • Brain development
    • Long-term health

    🔶 Expand basic services

    • Aggregate multiple programs into health, education, nutrition and hygiene programs.
    • Make sure to serve everyone, especially those in need.

    🔶Jan Andolan conducts mass sports

    • All departments and people participate in national campaigns to eliminate malnutrition.

    🔶Cross-cross-departmental convergence

    • NITI Aayog monitors a special national council and guides policies to better integrate the program.

    What technology does Poshan Abhiyan use?

    The main technology used by Poshan Abhiyan is the ICDS-CAS application, where Anganwadi Workers (AWWS) uses a mobile tool to record data to monitor children’s growth and share real-time updates with ministries

    Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0

    Government-backed mission to improve health, nutrition and immunity and modernize the Anganwadi Center (AWCS) in 36 states/UTS

    Key statistics

    number

    Anganwadi Center

    14,00,117

    Worker

    13,30,966

    Beneficiary

    10,08,89,775

    AWC with a building

    6,77,843

    Bring a toilet

    10,07,635

    Use clean water

    12,43,472

    Poshan Pakhwada 2025 – Seventh Edition

    🗓Date: April 8 to April 23, 2025📌Focus area:

    • Mother and baby nutrition
    • Use digital tools for beneficiaries
    • Fight against childhood obesity

    How many activities are included in Poshan Pakhwada 2025 in the seventh edition?

    These include 5 main activities:

    • Promote prenatal care and examinations
    • Encourage healthy eating habits
    • Drink water every day – 8 cups
    • Register on the Poshan Tracker app
    • Promising to eat well and stay active

    Why the first 1,000 days are so important

    These early days shape a child’s future:

    • Good nutrition can affect physical, mental and emotional development.
    • Mother’s guidance ensures better health outcomes.
    • Poshan Abhiyaan is committed to educating families:
      • Breastfeeding practice
      • Balanced diet
      • Local food choices, especially in tribal areas

    Poshan Tracker – Merge tradition and technology

    📱Released: March 1, 2021

    AI-powered POSHAN tracker can help AWW:

    • Track attendance
    • Monitor meals and health
    • Registered beneficiary
    • Provide early educational tools

    🔹As of February 28, 2025, all AWCs are registered on the app, and beneficiaries can now self-register.

    Fighting malnutrition with CMAM protocol

    The community-based acute malnutrition management (CMAM) protocol launched in October 2023 helps AWS:

    • Test for malnutrition
    • Recommended children to receive treatment
    • Perform an appetite test

    ✅ Goal: Make every Anganwadi a nutritional care center in the village.

    Childhood obesity – a new challenge

    While malnutrition is a problem, childhood obesity is also growing.

    ⚠️ Statistics:

    • Overweight children under 5 years old:
      • 2015-16 (NFHS-4): 2.1%
      • 2019-21 (NFHS-5): 3.4%

    🏫 Suggestions to the school:

    • Ban on sale of junk food (HFSS) within 200 meters of schools
    • Only provide healthy snacks (fruits, vegetables, dairy products)
    • Avoid frying items and sugary drinks
    • Mandatory physical exercise
    • Replace soda with juice, lassi, buttermilk and flavored milk

    What is the final idea for the program?

    Poshan Pakhwada 2025 is not only an event, but a step towards a malnutrition-free India.

    💡 What you can do:

    • Encourage your family to eat healthy
    • Using the Poshan Tracker app
    • Teach others about proper nutrition
    • Become a part of this national movement

    Together, let us build a healthy, strong and nourishing India – because having a nourishing child today is a stronger India tomorrow.