VARANASI — Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi will officially launch the 9th edition of Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026 on September 9, 2026, at the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Anchored in the national vision of Suposhit Bharat as a foundational pillar for Viksit Bharat 2047, the month-long campaign adopts the core theme “Hamari Anganwadi Hamari Jimmedari” to transition nutrition delivery and early childhood development into a community-led governance framework.
Policy Core & Strategic Pillars
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Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD).
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Key Leadership: Union Minister Smt. Annpurna Devi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Minister of State Smt. Savitri Thakur.
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Overarching Theme: “Hamari Anganwadi Hamari Jimmedari” (Shared community ownership of Anganwadi Centres).
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Regulatory Alignment: Driven by revised Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) guidelines under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, mandating standardized Hot Cooked Meals (HCM), SNP Menu Display Boards, and formal Anganwadi Management Committees (AMCs).
The Five Strategic Campaign Themes
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Dietary Diversity and Adequate Protein: Nationwide recipe demonstrations utilizing locally available ingredients and targeted campaigns promoting plant- and animal-based protein integration.
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Fresh Hot Cooked Meals (HCM): Implementation of standardized, weekly rotated HCM menus featuring millets, pulses, and seasonal vegetables, backed by community tasting sessions across States and UTs.
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Community Ownership & Institutional Accountability: Accelerated operationalization of Anganwadi Management Committees (AMCs) pursuant to June 2026 ministry guidelines. Mandates at least one formal AMC review meeting per center and quality monitoring by Mothers’ Committees.
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Nutrition, Early Stimulation & Foundational Education (0–6 Years):
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Ages 0–3: Dedicated drive using the revised Home Visit Scheduler (Navchetana) to track 34 developmental milestones, with fast-track medical referrals via Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).
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Ages 3–6: Implementation of early childhood care via Aadharshila, holding ECCE Days, parent-child activity modules, and primary school exposure visits for children aged 5–6 years.
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Decade Milestone of PMMVY: Commemorating 10 years of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) through a 100% saturation drive for eligible pregnant and lactating women, accelerated Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), and rollout of localized PMMVY toolkits.
