Union minister for women and child development Annpurna Devi addressing the 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026
Varanasi: Union minister for women and child development Annpurna Devi reaffirmed govt’s commitment to improving nutrition outcomes through Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. Addressing the 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026 at the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre (RICCC) in Varanasi on Wednesday, the minister said more than 14 lakh anganwadi centres are delivering nutrition, health and early childhood care services to over 7.5 crore children, 1.10 crore pregnant and lactating women, and nearly 16 lakh adolescent girls. Highlighting the importance of the first 1,000 days of life, she said govt is upgrading two lakh anganwadi centres into Saksham Anganwadis. Of these, around 24,000 centres have been approved in Uttar Pradesh . The scheme has transferred more than ₹21,000 crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to over 4.65 crore mothers across the country. She urged citizens to make nutrition a Jan Andolan to realise the vision of a Suposhit Bharat and Viksit Bharat@2047.
The minister also noted that the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) has completed ten years of implementation. Emphasising community participation, she called for greater focus on dietary diversity, adequate protein intake, fresh hot cooked meals, sanitation and early childhood development.