The Meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Members of Parliament for the Ministry of Women & Child Development was held in New Delhi today. The subject of the meeting was "Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0”.

Union Minister for Women & Child Development Smt. Annpurna Devi chaired the meeting. Minister of State for Women & Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur was also present. Members of Parliament of various political parties from Lok Sabha and Rajya took part in the meeting.

During the meeting, Smt.Annpurna Devi provided a brief overview of various schemes of Ministry of Women & Child Development viz Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0), Mission Shakti and Mission Vatsalya and highlighted that the Ministry is dedicated to the cause of women and children, to improve their livelihood in every manner from the first days of their life, to when they enter the workforce and become mothers.

Shri Anil Malik, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development provided a brief overview of the scheme to all the members of the Consultative Committee. Shri Gyanesh Bharti, Additional Secretary, MWCD gave a presentation on the subject.

Members of Parliament provided  suggestions concerning the actual implementation of the scheme. Smt. Annpurna Devi expressed gratitude to the participants for their valuable contributions. She further directed officials to take appropriate actions to incorporate the suggestions made by Members of Parliament and prioritize the welfare of the people. She also requested the Members of the Parliament to undertake visits in their regions and create awareness amongst the people and also requested all the members to provide their valuable suggestions/issues being faced at ground level to enable the Ministry to take proactive measures for smooth and effective delivery of services to end beneficiaries.

Present Scenario

Under Mission Poshan 2.0, efforts are being made to strengthen and upgrade two lakh AWCs as Saksham Anganwadis to enhance the delivery of nutrition and stimulate the cognitive, emotional, and social development of children under six years of age. On 30^th September 2024, over 11,000 Saksham Anganwadis were inaugurated, offering improved nutrition and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) services.

Under PM JANMAN for the targeted development of 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) out of the total 2500 Anganwadi Centres to be constructed in three Financial Years (FYs) up to 2025-26, a total of 2139 Anganwadi centres have been sanctioned out of which 780 operational catering to approximately 22845 beneficiaries in PVTG areas.

One of the important pillar of Mission Poshan 2.0 is governance in which Jan Andolan and Community Based events serve as an important components. More than 100 crore Jan Andolan activities and 6 crore community-based events (CBEs) were conducted since 2018.

For the first time, baseline data on nutritional indicators are available on Poshan Tracker. All Anganwadi centres are equipped with smart phones. Poshan Tracker is available in 24 languages.

New Developments:

Ministry has developed two-factor authentication system using face authentication and OTP for ensuring last mile delivery of Take Home Ration to registered beneficiaries.

To promote decision making at State level and provide input for policy making, monthly Factsheet giving comprehensive overview of key nutritional indicators and Anganwadi infrastructure is provided to States/UT.

Beneficiary Registration introduced for Self registration by selecting Anganwadi centre to avail the benefits of Anganwadi services.

It has been announced in the interim budget FY 2024-25 to extend healthcare annual coverage of Rs. 5 Lakhs under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to all Anganwadi workers and helpers. As per the information furnished by National Health Authority (NHA), Ayushmnan Cards have been created for approx. 8.15 Lakh AWWs/AWHs.

Background

Mission Shakti is aimed at empowering Women ‘Across All Life Stages’. It represents the Government’s unwavering commitment to 'women-led development,' addressing issues that affect women at every stage of life. This is done through Sambal and Samarthya. Sambal focuses on protection and support for women, offering programs like One Stop Centres (OSCs) for women in distress, Women Helpline (181-WHL), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), and Nari Adalat. Meanwhile, Samarthya emphasizes women's empowerment through initiatives such as Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Palna (formerly the National Creche Scheme),Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) which provides benefit of Rs 5000/- given for first child. Rs. 6000/- is given for second child (if girl child) in a single instalment after the child birth and SANKALP:  Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW).

Mission Vatsalya focuses on the protection, welfare, and holistic development of children, particularly those in difficult circumstances, ensuring their safety, security, and constructive growth. The Mission integrates the Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme, addressing various aspects of child development and offering Non-Institutional Care through kinship care, sponsorship, foster care, and aftercare (up to 21 years). Key initiatives under the Mission include the PM CARES for Children scheme, which supports children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Scheme for Care and Support to Victims under the POCSO Act, 2012, safeguarding children against sexual abuse. The Mission also simplifies adoption procedures through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). Additional measures include the Child Helpline (1098) and the Track Child portal for monitoring missing children, reflecting a comprehensive approach to nurturing and safeguarding every child’s future.

Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 aims to build India’s human capital and reduce malnutrition by adopting a lifecycle approach. It integrates Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyaan, and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls, with a focus on promoting infant and young child feeding practices, maternal and adolescent nutrition, and the treatment of malnourished children, while also encouraging AYUSH practices. The Mission benefits approximately  10.12 crore eligible beneficiaries viz. children aged 0-6 years, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls, providing them with supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, nutrition and health education, immunization, health check-ups, and referral services through 13.96 Lakh operational Anganwadi Centres (AWCs). As a universal self-selecting scheme, it is accessible to all eligible beneficiaries who enroll at AWCs.

Additionally, the Scheme for Adolescent Girls focuses on providing nutritional and non-nutritional support to girls aged 14-18 years, in Aspirational and North Eastern Districts, where beneficiaries are entitled to Take Home Rations and other program benefits, ensuring holistic development and well-being.

The ‘Poshan Tracker application facilitates monitoring and tracking of all Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and beneficiaries on defined indicators. Poshan Tracker is being leveraged for dynamic identification of stunting, wasting, under-weight prevalence among children. It is instrumental in facilitating real time interventions on the ground.

Chaired meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Members of Parliament for "Ministry of Women and Child Development".

Highlighted the importance of Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.@PMOIndia | @MinistryWCD | @PIBWCD pic.twitter.com/IitStA09TF

— Annapurna Devi (@Annapurna4BJP) December 16, 2024

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