**Executive Summary**
The document addresses malnutrition in tribal regions, specifically responding to a parliamentary question regarding infant deaths, the Bombay High Court's criticism, and steps to ensure a minimum standard of living. It details the government's approach through Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, a centrally sponsored mission, and reports on the nutritional status based on NFHS and Poshan Tracker data. A sanction for upgradation of 1,11,363 Mini AWCs to main AWCs has been issued as on 31.10.2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
*Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0:*
* Components such as Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan, and Scheme for Adolescent girls are subsumed under this mission.
* It is a centrally sponsored mission implemented by States and UTs across the country, including all tribal areas.
* Focuses on maternal nutrition, infant and young child feeding norms, treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)/Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM), and wellness through Ayush practices.
* Supplementary nutrition is provided to children (6 months to 6 years), pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls as per revised norms (January 2023) in Schedule-II of the NFSA.
* Fortified rice is supplied to Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) and emphasis is being placed on using millets.
* Under the mission, 2 lakh Anganwadi Centres have been approved for upgradation as Saksham Anganwadis.
* Sanction for upgradation of 1,11,363 Mini AWCs to main AWCs has been issued as on 31.10.2025.
*Community Mobilization and Awareness:*
* One major activity is educating people on nutritional aspects to promote good nutrition habits through regular sensitization under Jan Andolans.
* All Anganwadi workers are required to conduct two Community Based Events every month.
*Malnutrition Data and Analysis:*
* Various rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and Poshan Tracker data show improvement in malnutrition indicators in children across India.
* As per Oct 2025 data, of the 6.44 crore children measured on growth parameters, 33% were stunted, 14% were underweight, and 5% were wasted.
* The State/UT wise data on Stunting, wasting and underweight can be accessed from the link: https://www.poshantracker.in/statistics.
*Fund Allocation:*
* Details are provided for funds released to States and UTs under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 for the last five years (2021-22 to 2025-26).
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Children (especially in tribal regions)**
* **Impact:** Affected by malnutrition, but stand to benefit from improved nutrition programs and Anganwadi services.
* **Action Required:** Enrollment in Anganwadis for monitoring of height and weight and access to supplementary nutrition.
**Stakeholder: Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers, and Adolescent Girls**
* **Impact:** Key target group for supplementary nutrition to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.
* **Action Required:** Access supplementary nutrition programs.
**Stakeholder: State Governments and Union Territories**
* **Impact:** Responsible for implementing the mission and its activities.
* **Action Required:** Implement Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 activities, report on sensitization efforts, and upgrade Anganwadi Centres, utilize released funds effectively.
**Stakeholder: Anganwadi Workers**
* **Impact:** Frontline workers responsible for implementing the mission.
* **Action Required:** Conduct Community Based Events every month, provide supplementary nutrition, monitor growth, and educate communities on nutrition.
Key Entities Referenced
Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0: A centrally sponsored mission to address malnutrition through various interventions, including Anganwadi services and schemes for adolescent girls.
Ministry of Women and Child Development: The ministry responsible for the implementation of Poshan Abhiyaan and related initiatives.
National Food Security Act (NFSA): Provides the legal framework for providing supplementary nutrition to certain populations, especially severely acutely malnourished children.
Anganwadi Centres: Frontline centers for nutrition delivery and early childhood care, being upgraded under Mission Saksham Anganwadi.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs: The ministry is answering questions in Lok Sabha regarding malnutrition deaths in tribal regions and the steps being taken to ensure the minimum standard of living of the tribal in the country
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.877
TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.12.2025
MALNUTRITION DEATHS IN TRIBAL REGIONS
877. Prof. Sougata Ray:
Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of infant deaths due to malnourishment in the tribal regions of the country during
the last five years, State-wise;
(b) whether the Bombay High Court criticized the Governments for their extremely casual
approach in addressing malnutrition among infants in the tribal regions of the country; and
(c) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken to ensure the minimum standard of living of the
tribal in the country?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI DURGADAS UIKEY)
(a) to (c) As per information received from Ministry of Women and Child Development, it is
stated that under the 15th Finance Commission, various components like Anganwadi services,
Poshan Abhiyaan and Scheme for Adolescent girls (of 14-18 years in Aspirational Districts
and North-Eastern region) have been subsumed under the umbrella Mission Saksham
Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) to address the challenge of malnutrition. It
is a Centrally Sponsored mission, where the responsibility for implementation of various
activities lies with the States and UTs. This mission is a universal self-selecting umbrella
scheme where there are no entry barriers for any beneficiary to register and receive services.
This mission is being implemented across the country including in all the tribal areas.
Under Mission Poshan 2.0 a new strategy has been made for reduction in malnutrition
and for improved health, wellness and immunity through activities like community
engagement, outreach, behavioural change, and advocacy. It focuses on Maternal Nutrition,
Infant and Young Child Feeding Norms, treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)/
Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and wellness through Ayush practices to reduce
prevalence of wasting, stunting, and being underweight.
Under this mission, Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Children (6 months to 6
years), Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Adolescent Girls to beat the
intergenerational cycle of malnutrition by adopting a life cycle approach. Supplementary
nutrition is provided in accordance with the nutrition norms contained in Schedule-Il of the
NFSA. These norms have been revised in January 2023. The old norms were largely calorie-
specific; however, the revised norms are more comprehensive and balanced in terms of both
quantity and quality of supplementary nutrition based on the principles of diet diversity that
provides for quality protein, healthy fats and micronutrients. Extra Supplementary Nutrition
is provided to Severely Acutely Malnourished (SAM) children as per National Food Security
Act (NFSA).Fortified rice is being supplied to AWCs to meet the requirement of micro-nutrients and to
control anemia among women and children. Greater emphasis is being laid on the use of
millets at least once a week for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal and Take-Home ration at
Anganwadi centers.
Ministries of Women & Child Development and Health & Family Welfare have jointly
released the protocol for Community Management of Malnutrition (CMAM) to prevent and
treat severely acute malnutrition in children and for reducing associated morbidity and
mortality.
Under this Mission, one of the major activities undertaken is Community Mobilization and
Awareness Advocacy to educate people on nutritional aspects as adoption of good nutrition
habit requires sustained efforts for behavioural change. State and UTS are conducting and
reporting regular sensitization activities under Jan Andolans during Poshan Maahs and Poshan
Pakhwadas celebrated in the months of September and March-April respectively. Community
Based Events (CBEs) have served as a significant strategy in changing nutritional practices
and all Anganwadi workers are required to conduct two Community Based Events every
month.
Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, as on date, 2 lakh Anganwadi Centres
have been approved to be upgraded as Saksham Anganwadis for improved nutrition delivery
and for imparting early childhood care and education. Saksham Anganwadis are provided with
better infrastructure than the conventional Anganwadi Centres which includes internet/Wi-Fi
connectivity, LED screens, water purifier/installation of RO Machine and smart learning
equipment.
The Government has also taken a policy decision to upgrade all Mini AWCs to a full-fledged
Anganwadi Centres with one worker and one helper each to help in carrying out various
responsibilities under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 including responsibilities
related to Early Childhood Care & Education. Sanction for upgradation of 1,11,363 Mini
AWCs to main AWCs has been issued as on 31.10.2025.
Various rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted by Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare since 1992-93 have shown improvement in malnutrition indicators
in children across India. Details of these indicators for children since NFHS-I to NFHS-5 are
given below:
NFHS Survey Stunting Underweight Wasting
NFHS-I (1992-93) 52 53.4 17.5
NFHS-2 (1998-99) 45.5 47 15.5
NFHS-3 (2005-06) 48.0 42.5 19.8
NFHS-4 (2015-16) 38.4 35.8 21.0
NFHS-5 (2019-21) 35.5 32.1 19.3
Poshan Tracker Data of children measured in
33 14 5
Anganwadis (Oct 2025)***
* Under 4 years
** Under 3 years
*** Under 5 years
The above table about NFHS-I to NFHS-5 gives a representative picture of malnutrition
indicators among all children of 0-3 years, 0-4 years and 0-5 years age at the relevant time.
The Poshan Tracker data gives malnutrition details only about children 0-5 years who are
enrolled in the Anganwadis and are measured for height and weight.The total projected population of all children up to 5 years in India for the year 2021 is 13.75
crores approximately (source: Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036, National
Commission on Population, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare). However, only 6.64 crores
children up to 5 years were enrolled in Anganwadis and registered on Poshan Tracker of the
Ministry of Women & Child Development as per the Oct 2025 data. 6.44 crores of these
children were measured on growth parameters of height and weight. 33% of them have been
found to be stunted, 14% have been found to be underweight and 5% wasted.
The analysis of the above NFHS data and the Poshan Tracker data shows improvement in
malnutrition indicators in children across India. The State/UT wise data on Stunting, wasting
and underweight can be accessed from the link: https://www.poshantracker.in/statistics.
Details of status of funds released for last five years to States and UTS under Saksham
Anganwadi and Mission Poshan 2.0 are placed at Annexure.Annexure
Details of funds released under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 during
last five years:
(Rs.in Crore)
2025-26
(Till
2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
Name of the
31.10.2025)
State
Funds Funds Funds Funds
Funds released
released released released released
Andaman and
1 19.71 3.85 12.15 9.63 4.73
Nicobar Islands
2 Andhra Pradesh 744.6 827.79 705.68 645.73 350.41
Arunachal
3 170.83 137.78 162.06 102.61 109.66
Pradesh
4 Assam 1319.9 1651.63 2233.31 2482.34 877.5
5 Bihar 1574.43 1740.09 1859.29 2262.92 878.71
6 Chandigarh 15.32 33.1 19.79 14.56 5.94
7 Chhattisgarh 606.73 668.96 579.46 733.3 324.44
8 DN & DD 9.33 5.8 11.97 9.13 3.6
9 Delhi 133.11 182.77 161.81 160.41 131.88
10 Goa 10.84 14.71 13.95 13.44 1 1.16
11 Gujarat 839.86 912.64 1126.8 601.32 337.53
12 Haryana 173.03 195.25 225.78 232.69 43.35
Himachal
13 247.99 270.24 301.09 313.07 174.52
Pradesh
Jammu &
14 405.74 479.01 530.88 662.79 256.89
Kashmir
15 Jharkhand 352.98 430.91 664.3 496.95 384.18
16 Karnataka 1003.7 765.87 912.96 886.85 512.35
17 Kerala 388.23 444.98 306.64 435.74 98.77
18 Ladakh 14.7 18.79 19.62 18.89 13.58
19 Lakshadweep 2.11 0.44 2.88 1.35 0.57
20 Madhya Pradesh 1085.47 1011.57 1123.11 1144.54 725.56
21 Maharashtra 1713.39 1646.17 1699.52 1368.84 911
22 Manipur 228.92 135.95 201.28 342.8 133.15
23 Meghalaya 173.33 192.39 269.69 137.93 66.18
24 Mizoram 59.32 42.81 100.27 55.29 32.57
25 Nagaland 159.8 199.3 262.91 147.01 62.67
26 Odisha 1065.98 923.92 968.8 948,16 699 46
27 Puducherry 2.78 0.12 4.48 3.68 2.55
28 Punjab 383.52 75.31 307.87 265.48 124.14
29 Rajasthan 682.65 974.02 1091.96 741.85 640.60
30 Sikkim 25.73 20.33 33.49 18.07 8.93
31 Tamil Nadu 655.38 766.81 880.79 638.47 460.1732 Telangana 482.33 550.69 507.87 430.76 52.21
33 Tripura 186.72 150.52 244.22 153.41 123.9
34 Uttar Pradesh 2407.55 2721.87 2668.69 2694.62 1802.49
35 Uttarakhand 353.65 425.84 288.24 216.33 194.2
36 West Bengal 668.35 1227.59 1237.56 1513.8 1033.41
Total 18368 19849.8 21741.2 20904.8 11593.3
*****