The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) on Tuesday launched the seventh edition of 'Poshan Pakhwada', a nationwide campaign designed to address the battle against malnutrition and fostering healthy lifestyles.
This year, the 15-day-long campaign is taking place between April 8 to 22, 2025, where it will focus on various important themes encompassing maternal and infant nutrition, digital accessibility for beneficiaries, and combating childhood obesity.
The nationwide drive comes at a time when a United Nations' report titled ‘Trends in maternal mortality 2000-2023’ suggested on Monday that India accounted for the second highest maternal deaths globally alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with 19,000 and second only to Nigeria. If broken down further, it amounts to fatalities each day.
The report has been prepared by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, UN Population Fund, World Bank and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (population division).
About Poshan Pakhwada: A Battle Against Malnutrition
Taking cognisance of the growing issue of malnutrition in the country, the Centre on March 8, 2018, launched the flagship program to improve the nutritional outcomes for women and children. Since its inception , the mission played a pivotal role in raising awareness about nutrition and promoting healthy eating habits across India.
As per media reports, this year's campaign is falling within the ambit of a the Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 initiatives which focuses on enhancing service delivery and boost community participation through various interactive activities.
In view of the campaign launch, Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi reportedly will visit Arunachal Pradesh in the first week of April to evaluate the progress of ongoing nutrition and child welfare programs.
Themes Of The Campaign
First 1,000 days of life: The campaign underlines the pivotal role of nutrition and care from conception to a child's second birthday, a period which is medically considered crucial for a child's optimal growth and development.
Poshan tracker's beneficiary module: The campaign also encourages the adoption of the Poshan Tracker to monitor and enhance nutritional outcomes among beneficiaries.
Community-based efforts to combat malnutrition: It focuses on executing localized strategies to identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition within communities.
Addressing childhood obesity through lifestyle modifications: Tackling the rising concern of childhood obesity by advocating for balanced diets and regular physical activity.
