POSHAN 2.0 has shifted India’s child-nutrition architecture from food handouts to a first-1,000-days approach, yet anaemia in under-fives rose between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. Examine the design strengths and implementation gaps of the scheme. Examine.

Introduction:

Mission Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0, launched in 2021 under Article 47's directive to raise nutrition standards, reach roughly 10 crore beneficiaries through 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres on a real-time Poshan Tracker with a 2025-26 outlay of about Rs 21,960 crore — India's largest nutrition delivery network.

Design strengths: The scheme shifts emphasis to the first 1,000 days through maternal nutrition under PMMVY, the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) norms, community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), fortified take-home rations under FSSAI +F standards, and digital growth monitoring. Convergence with Anaemia Mukt Bharat and Jal Jeevan Mission addresses underlying determinants of nutrition outcomes.

Performance evidence: NFHS-5 (2019-21) showed stunting falling from 38.4 to 35.5 percent and underweight from 35.8 to 32.1 percent against NFHS-4. However, child anaemia rose from 58.6 to 67.1 percent and women's anaemia from 53 to 57 percent. FAO's State of Food Security 2024 records 194.6 million undernourished Indians and child wasting at 18.7 percent — the world's highest.

Implementation gaps: Anganwadi worker vacancies, weak last-mile fortified-rice supply, irregular take-home ration distribution and Poshan Tracker over-reporting (CAG Performance Audit 2022) blunt outcomes. NFHS-6 is delayed; the evidence base is half a decade old, undermining adaptive targeting.

Way forward / Conclusion:

Centre the first 1,000 days through enforceable PMMVY entitlements, scale mandatory rice fortification, fix 1.5 lakh Anganwadi vacancies, integrate POSHAN with PMAY-G water and sanitation, and release NFHS-6 to make targeting evidence-driven rather than tracker-driven.