Parliament Question: Anganwadi Infrastructure under Poshan 2.0

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION. 4695 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.03.2026 ANGANWADI INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER POSHAN 2.0 4695. SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI: Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) the status of creation of a convergent eco-system involving relevant Ministries, Departments and State Governments to develop and promote practices that nurture health, nutrition, wellness and immunity under the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 scheme, and the outcomes achieved so far; (b) the reorganisation and rationalisation of existing components under Poshan 2.0 undertaken to address gaps and shortcomings in the ongoing nutrition programme, improve implementation and accelerate improvements in nutrition and child development outcomes, including specific measures taken for the North-Eastern Region; (c) the status of Anganwadi infrastructure including number of modernised and upgraded Saksham Anganwadi Centres, availability of basic facilities such as buildings, drinking water, sanitation, electricity and digital infrastructure, across the country, State-wise; and (d) the timeline for upgradation of remaining centres and State-wise funds allocated for the same? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR) (a) to (d): Nutrition goes beyond mere eating of food; it requires proper digestion, absorption, and metabolism of nutrients. This process is influenced by factors like sanitation, education and access to safe drinking water. As malnutrition requires a multi-sectoral approach involving dimensions of food, health, water, sanitation and education, it is crucial to effectively address the issue of malnutrition in a convergent manner. It is being addressed under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 by establishing cross cutting convergence amongst 18 Ministries/Departments. In convergence with these Ministries and Departments, along withStates and UTs, major activities are undertaken under Jan Andolans during Poshan Maah and Poshan Pakhwada celebrated in the months of September and March-April respectively. These activities are conducted for Community Mobilization and Awareness Advocacy to educate people on nutritional aspects as adoption of good nutrition habit requires sustained efforts for behavioural change. More than 150 crore Jan Andolan activities have been conducted since 2018 through 15 Jan Andolans in the country. Also, Community Based Events (CBEs) have served as a significant strategy in changing nutritional practices. All Anganwadi workers are required to conduct two CBEs every month. A total of 9.8 crore CBEs has been conducted from 2018 to February 2026. The Mission Poshan 2.0, has subsumed Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan and Scheme for Adolescent girls to strengthen and accelerate improvements in nutrition and child development. It is a Centrally Sponsored Mission being implemented in all States and UTs including Northeastern region of the country. Responsibility for implementation of various activities of the Mission lies with the States and UTs. This Mission includes beneficiaries; Children under 6 years of age, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls (of 14- 18 years age in Aspirational Districts and North-Eastern region) of the country. The status of infrastructure at Anganwadi Centres with facilities such as buildings, drinking water and sanitation is available at the public dashboard of Poshan Tracker application: https://www.poshantracker.in/statistics. Further, all Anganwadi workers have been provided Smart Phones for using Poshan Tracker digital application. 2 lakh Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) have been approved for five years for upgradation as Saksham Anganwadi Centres. State and UT wise approved number of AWCs along with funds allocated is placed at Annexure. *****Annexure STATE AND UT WISE NUMBER OF AWCS APPROVED FOR UPGRADATION AND FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR THEM (BY FEBRUARY 2026) S. Name of State and Total No. of AWCs approved Total Fund allocated for as on No. UTs for upgradation date (Rs. in Lakhs) 1 Nagaland 149 134.1 2 Manipur 30 27 3 Ladakh 14 14 4 Chandigarh 69 69 5 Sikkim 435 391.5 6 Arunachal Pradesh 152 136.8 7 Andhra Pradesh 9958 5974.8 8 Assam 5407 4866.3 9 Mizoram 1600 1440 10 Meghalaya 121 108.9 11 Karnataka 17732 10639.2 12 Tripura 474 426.6 13 Maharashtra 14,745 8847 14 Goa 24 14.4 Jammu and 15 338 304.2 Kashmir Andaman & 16 140 140 Nicobar 17 Lakshadweep 18 18 18 Uttar Pradesh 23697 14218.2 19 Tamil Nadu 11972 7183.2 20 Puducherry 135 81 21 Kerala 4152 2491 22 Uttarakhand 827 744.3 23 Chhattisgarh 11490 6894 24 West Bengal 5359 3215.4 25 Madhya Pradesh 24662 14797 26 Odisha 12140 7284 27 Bihar 11529 6917.4 28 Telangana 5008 3004.8 29 Gujarat 13147 7888.2 30 Rajasthan 3514 2108.4 31 Jharkhand 16775 10065 32 Himachal Pradesh 1030 927.00 33 Punjab 353 211.8 34 Haryana 2804 1682.4 *****