NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) has released the 4th progress report on the POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan, titled “Preserving Progress on Nutrition in India: Poshan Abhiyaan in Pandemic Times.”
- Poshan Abhiyaan is the flagship programme of Government of India (GoI).
- The report covers the period from January to December 2020, which mostly coincides with the active implementation of mission activities.
Maharashtra (MH), Andhra Pradesh (AP), and Gujarat (GJ) are found to be the top three states in terms of total implementation among larger states at the national level in 2020, followed by Tamil Nadu (TN), Madhya Pradesh (MP), and Himachal Pradesh (HP).
- The report also highlighted that 12 of the 19 largest states had an implementation score of more than 70%.
Top 5 Among Larger States
| S.No | Large States |
|---|---|
| 1 | Maharashtra (MH) |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh (AP) |
| 3 | Gujarat (GJ) |
| 4 | Tamil Nadu (TN) |
| 5 | Madhya Pradesh (MP) |
Key Facts from The Report:
i.To facilitate for fair comparisons, the report classifies the states and UTs into three categories: large states, small states, and UTs.
ii.Sikkim performed the best (more than 75%) out of the eight small states, followed by Meghalaya, Tripura, and Goa.
Top 5 among Smaller States
| S.No | Small States |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sikkim |
| 2 | Meghalaya |
| 3 | Tripura |
| 4 | Goa |
| 5 | Nagaland |
iii.The top three UTs on the list were Dadra & Nagar Haveli along with Daman & Diu, Chandigarh, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, all of which had scores of over 70%.
Top 5 among Union Territories (UTs)
| S.No | Union Territories (UTs) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu |
| 2 | Chandigarh |
| 3 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
| 4 | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 5 | Lakshadweep |
iv.In terms of overall Poshan Abhiyaan implementation, Punjab and Bihar performed the lowest among larger states.
v.Only 17 States and UTs had more than 75% of children 12-23 months of age fully immunized, while 11 states and UTs had less than 25% fully immunized children.
vi.Take-home rations (THR) have been distributed to all beneficiaries of the Women and Child Development (WCD) programme in various States and UTs.
- In contrast, coverage was still inadequate in Bihar, Punjab, Sikkim, and Jammu & Kashmir.
vii.It should be emphasized that less than 50% of the funds allocated for Poshan Abhiyaan have been utilized overall, across 23 States and UTs.
Key Suggestions from The Report:
i.The report highlighted the importance of accelerating the utilization of Poshan Abhiyaan funds and ensuring an adequate number of health facilities and supplies.
ii.It proposed strengthening the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and health platforms in order to increase coverage and raise the quality of essential health and nutrition interventions.
iii.It also recommended carrying out the Convergence Action Plans (CAPs) to ensure that the convergence is outcome-focused and that actions across sectors benefit the intended beneficiaries.
POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan
POSHAN Abhiyaan (formerly known as the National Nutrition Mission) is a multi-ministerial convergence mission that seeks to raise national attention to and combat malnutrition in a mission-mode.
Poshan Abhiyaan was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 8th March 2018 in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan.
- This programme, which falls under the ICDS umbrella, integrates with other services and programmes that provide nutrition interventions during the first 1,000-day period.
Objective: To enhance the nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant mothers, lactating mothers, and adolescents.
Targets of the Mission
- To deliver a high impact package of interventions in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life
- To strengthen the delivery of these interventions through technology and management
- To improve the capacity of frontline workers (FLWs)
- To facilitate cross-sectoral convergence to address the multi-dimensional nature of malnutrition
- To enhance behaviour change and community mobilization
Note:
- The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) is celebrating the 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2022 from September 01-30, 2022.
- Objective: To trigger Poshan Maah through Gram Panchayats as Poshan Panchayats with key focus on “Mahila aur Swasthya ” and “Bacha aur Shiksha”.
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About NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India):
CEO – Parameswaran Iyer
Establishment – 1 January 2015
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
