The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) organized the 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2022 from 1st to 30th September 2022.
- It aims to improve nutritional outcomes for children under 6 years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
- As part of the 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah, the MoWCD plans to rope in the Gram Panchayats as Poshan Panchayats.
- The 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah aims to convert Jan Andolan (People’s Movement) into Jan Bhagidari (People’s Participation).
The key focus will be on “Mahila aur Swasthya” (Woman and Health) and “Bacha aur Shiksha” (Child and Education).
Key points:
i.Various awareness activities about nutrition at the ground level through sensitization drives, outreach programmes, identification drives, camps and fairs will be conducted at national, state and panchayat level.
ii.Pregnant and lactating women, children below six years and adolescent girls will be given special attention to realize the vision of ‘Swasth Bharat’.
iii.Under the State level activities- ‘Amma ki Rasoi’ or Grandmother’s Kitchen of traditional nutritious recipes will be organized.
iv.A national level toy-creation workshop will also be organized to promote use of indigenous and local toys for learning in Anganwadi Centres.
At the Panchayat level-
i.Awareness activities will be conducted by local functionaries under the guidance of the concerned District Panchayati Raj Officers and Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs).
ii.Poshan Panchayat Committees will work with field level workers (FLWs) – AWWs (Anganwadi Workers), ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) and ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery).
- The committee will provide for enabling service delivery through Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), Village Health and Nutrition Day (VHNDs), and other relevant platforms to ensure all beneficiaries receive basic Integrated Child Development services (ICDS).
iii.Growth Measurement drives under Swasth Balak Spardha will be conducted by States with the help of AWWs, ASHA, district functionaries and agencies such as Lions Club, Rotary Club etc.
- Health camps for anaemia check-ups will be especially organised at AWCs for adolescent girls.
- Special focus will be given on the importance of rainwater conservation among women at Anganwadi centers and on traditional foods in tribal areas for healthy mother and child.
POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan:
It is the Government of India (GOI)’s flagship programme, aims to improve nutritional outcomes for children under 6 years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
i.ThePrime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the programme from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan on occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2018.
ii.Focusing on the aims of POSHAN Abhiyaan, Mission Poshan 2.0 (Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0) was launched in 2021 as an integrated nutrition support program to strengthen nutritional content, delivery, outreach and outcomes with focus on developing practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity to disease and malnutrition.
