**Executive Summary**
NITI Aayog and UNICEF India have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to enhance nutrition and health outcomes in Aspirational Districts and Blocks. This collaboration, formalized on March 5, 2023, aims to leverage the strengths of both organizations to improve maternal and child nutrition in underserved regions through multi-stakeholder engagement and strengthened implementation systems.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Purpose of Collaboration:** To strengthen collaborative efforts for improving nutrition and health outcomes through strategic interventions in Aspirational Districts and Blocks.
* **Partnership Goals:** To leverage the strengths of NITI Aayog and UNICEF India to advance efforts toward improved maternal and child nutrition outcomes in underserved regions.
* **Focus Areas:** Promotion of multi-stakeholder engagement and strengthening implementation systems for nutrition and health interventions at the block level.
* **UNICEF India's Role:** To provide technical expertise and support engagement with businesses, public sector enterprises, and industry associations through the IMPAct4Nutrition (I4N) platform to channel CSR investments into nutrition-focused initiatives.
* **Key Activities:**
* Mobilizing CSR partners for health and nutrition interventions.
* Promoting community engagement.
* Supporting knowledge-sharing platforms for best practices.
* Strengthening Anganwadi infrastructure.
* Enhancing nutrition literacy.
* Improving uptake of ICDS services.
* Building the capacity of frontline workers.
* **Underlying Principle:** The partnership is built on a shared commitment to evidence-based approaches and coordinated action across government, private sector, and community stakeholders.
**Impact Analysis**
**NITI Aayog**
* **Impact:** Will benefit from UNICEF India's technical expertise and support in engaging with various stakeholders to channel CSR investments and implement nutrition-focused initiatives. This enhances NITI Aayog's capacity to achieve development outcomes in Aspirational Districts and Blocks.
* **Action Required:** To continue its role in the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, focusing on convergence, collaboration, and data-driven governance, and to actively participate in the implementation of the SoI.
**UNICEF India**
* **Impact:** Will be able to leverage its IMPAct4Nutrition (I4N) platform to provide technical expertise, engage with businesses and industry associations, and channel CSR investments to strengthen nutrition and health outcomes in high-priority regions.
* **Action Required:** To provide technical expertise, support stakeholder engagement, channel CSR investments, and contribute to strengthening Anganwadi infrastructure, nutrition literacy, ICDS services, and frontline worker capacity.
**Aspirational Districts and Blocks**
* **Impact:** These regions will experience improved maternal and child nutrition outcomes through strengthened interventions, enhanced service delivery, and increased capacity building.
* **Action Required:** To serve as the focus area for the collaborative interventions, demonstrating the importance of convergence and data-driven governance in accelerating development.
**CSR Partners, Businesses, Public Sector Enterprises, and Industry Associations**
* **Impact:** Will have opportunities to channel their CSR investments into impactful nutrition-focused initiatives, contributing to improved health and nutrition outcomes.
* **Action Required:** To engage with UNICEF India through the I4N platform and contribute CSR investments to support health and nutrition interventions.
**Community Stakeholders and Frontline Workers**
* **Impact:** Will benefit from improved nutrition literacy, enhanced access to ICDS services, and strengthened community engagement, alongside capacity building for frontline workers.
* **Action Required:** To participate in community engagement initiatives and utilize improved services and capacity-building efforts.
Key Entities Referenced
NITI Aayog: The policy-making institution of the Government of India, acting as a primary signatory and stakeholder in the collaboration.
UNICEF India: The Indian branch of the United Nations Children's Fund, a key partner in the initiative to improve nutrition and health outcomes.
Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme: A government program focused on accelerating development outcomes in specific districts and blocks, which is a key focus area for the collaboration.
Statement of Intent: The formal document signed between NITI Aayog and UNICEF India to outline their collaborative efforts.
Shri Rohit Kumar: Additional Secretary and Mission Director of the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, NITI Aayog, who signed the Statement of Intent.
NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog and UNICEF India Sign Statement of
Intent to Strengthen Nutrition and Health
Outcomes in Aspirational Districts and Blocks
Posted On: 05 MAR 2026 6:23PM by PIB Delhi
In a significant step towards strengthening collaborative efforts for improving nutrition and health
outcomes, NITI Aayog and UNICEF India today signed a Statement of Intent to support strategic
interventions in Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks. The SOI was signed by Shri Rohit Kumar,
Additional Secretary and Mission Director, Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, NITI Aayog and
Mr. Arjan de Wagt, Deputy Representative, UNICEF India.
This collaboration aims to leverage the strengths of both institutions to advance efforts toward improved
maternal and child nutrition outcomes in underserved regions. The partnership will support the promotion
of multi-stakeholder engagement and strengthen implementation systems for nutrition and health
interventions at the block level.
Shri Rohit Kumar noted that the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme has demonstrated the
importance of convergence, collaboration and data-driven governance in accelerating development
outcomes. He highlighted that partnerships with organisations such as UNICEF India will further
strengthen efforts to address critical health and nutrition challenges and enhance last-mile service delivery
in high-priority regions.
UNICEF India, through the IMPAct4Nutrition (I4N) platform, will provide technical expertise and support
engagement with businesses, public sector enterprises and industry associations to channel CSR
investments into nutrition-focused initiatives. The collaboration will focus on strengthening Anganwadi
infrastructure, enhancing nutrition literacy, improving uptake of ICDS services and building the capacity
of frontline workers.
Key activities under the collaboration include mobilising CSR partners to support health and nutrition
interventions, promoting community engagement and supporting knowledge sharing platforms to identify
and disseminate scalable best practices across Aspirational Districts and Blocks.
The signing of the Statement of Intent underscores the shared commitment of NITI Aayog and UNICEF
India to advancing nutrition and health outcomes through strengthened partnerships, evidence-based
approaches and coordinated action across government, private sector and community stakeholders.****
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