Poshan Abhiyan (National Nutrition Mission): Goals, Mission, Targets And More Details

The Government of India started Poshan Abhiyaan, commonly called the National Nutrition Mission, in 2018 (although the initiative was implemented in 2017) to address Modi’s malnutrition crisis.

Poshan Abhiyan- National Nutrition Mission: Objectives

• The project’s main goal is to minimise undernutrition among youngsters in the country while also improving their nutritional health.
• Malnutrition will be eradicated from the nation by 2022, according to the mission, which is a multi-ministerial undertaking.
• Poshan Abhiyaan is India’s major nutrition-improvement programme for adolescents, kids, pregnant women, and breastfeeding moms.
• The mission makes use of innovation and collaboration amongst different modules and divisions.
• The acronym ‘Poshan’ means for ‘Prime Minister’s Amorphous Strategy for Integrative Nutrition,’ and it is used in the project’s name.
• Stunting, hypertension, undernourishment, and premature birth are among the project’s particular goals.
• The National Nutrition Mission’s ‘Mission 25 by 2020’ intends to reduce malnutrition from 38.4 per cent to 25 per cent by 2022, as per ‘Objective 25 by 2020.’
• Apart from organizing social audit reports, the mission also includes modelling various other malnutrition-related strategies and empowering synergy effects through an ICT-based true surveillance system, rigorous consolidation between both the schemes, incentivizing states and UTs for meeting targeted goals, and maximising Anganwadi centre working.
• The NITI Aayog is also an important part of the purpose. The Vice President of NITI Aayog serves as the Chairperson of the National Council on India’s Nourishing Challenges, which was established underneath the Poshan Abhiyaan.

Poshan Abhiyan- National Nutrition Mission: Specific Targets

The following are the goals of the National Nutrition Mission:

• Stunting should be reduced by 2% per year.
• Reduce the rate of undernutrition by 2% every year.
• Anaemia should be reduced by 3% each year.
• Reduce the number of babies born with low birth weight by 2% per year.

Covid-19’s Effect On Malnutrition

Covid-19 is forcing millions of citizens into poverty, lowering many more people’s earnings, and particularly harming the poor, who are also the most susceptible to hunger and food insecurity.
Furthermore, pandemic-induced shutdowns hampered key services such as complementary foods at Women and child development centres, mid-day meals, vaccination, and micronutrients supplements, exacerbating starvation.