Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under Ministry of Jal Shakti, is actively participating in the 7^thedition of Poshan Pakhwada from 8^thto 23^rdApril 2025. Aligning with the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s Saksham Anganwadi scheme, the department’s campaign is themed “Shuddh Jal aur Swachhta Se SwasthBachpan” (Clean Water and Sanitation for Healthy Childhood), with a tagline “Purn Poshan Ki Shuruwaat, Shuddh Jal aur Swachhta Ke Saath” focusing specifically on clean water practices and sanitation as crucial elements for a child’s nutrition and overall health.

Poshan Pakhwada aims to combat malnutrition through behaviour changes at individual, family, and community levels, highlighting four key areas:

• Emphasis on the first 1000 days of human life
• Popularization of the Beneficiary Module in the Poshan Tracker App
• Effective management of malnutrition through the CMAM module
• Promotion of healthy lifestyles to address childhood obesity

States/ UTs will conduct extensive community-level activities to underline the critical role of safe drinking water and sanitation practices in preventing malnutrition and diseases.

 Planned activities include:

• Shuddh Jal and Swachhta Drive: Conducting community sessions on safe drinking water, sanitation practices, hand hygiene, composting, and waste management.
• Capacity Building for Anganwadi Workers: Sensitization sessions and training on safe water consumption and good sanitation practices to aid in better counselling for mothers.
• Awareness Generation for Lactating Mothers: IEC activities by Anganwadi and ASHA workers on safe drinking water and sanitation to enhance community health.
• Smart Poshan Anganwadi Certification: Recognizing top-performing Anganwadi Centers for maintaining high hygiene and nutrition standards.
• Swachh Jal, Sundar Aangan Initiative: Improving sanitation facilities at Anganwadi centers with community and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) involvement, including murals and child-friendly water stations.
• Awareness Rallies: Community mobilization focusing on preventing waterborne diseases through proper sanitation and hygiene.

Department will also complement the efforts of WCD by promoting the campaign over social media platforms which is an integral part of the campaign, utilizing hashtags #DDWSJoinsPoshanPakhwada and #PoshanPakhwada to maximize outreach and impact.

Through these collective efforts, including WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) initiatives, the Jal Jeevan Mission, and the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen, Poshan Pakhwada aims to create enduring awareness and drive substantial behavioral change in rural communities, enabling improved health, sanitation, and nutrition for every child in India.

To know more about the mission, click: https://www.jalshakti-ddws.gov.in/

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Dhanya Sanal K