Executive Summary:
This document presents the Ministry of Women and Child Development's response to questions regarding nutrition and health outcomes within the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program. It details the enrollment and supplementary nutrition provided to children under 6, pregnant women, and lactating mothers under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. Data from the Poshan Tracker and National Family Health Survey (NFHS) are used to assess malnutrition indicators. Data is provided for June 2025, and supplementary nutrition data for the first quarter of FY 25-26.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0:**
* Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan, and Scheme for Adolescent Girls (14-18 years) in Aspirational Districts and North-Eastern regions are now under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.
* The mission is a centrally sponsored, universal, self-selecting scheme with no entry barriers for beneficiaries.
* **Supplementary Nutrition:**
* Supplementary nutrition is provided to children (6 months to 6 years), pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls, following nutrition norms in Schedule II of the National Food Security Act, revised in January 2023.
* Revised norms are more comprehensive, focusing on diet diversity and quality protein, healthy fats, and micronutrients.
* **Enrollment and Coverage (June 2025):**
* 8.61 crore children (0-6 years) are enrolled in Anganwadis and registered on the Poshan Tracker.
* Supplementary nutrition data for the first quarter of FY 25-26 is provided state-wise and UT-wise in Annexure II.
* **Malnutrition Indicators:**
* NFHS data shows improvements in malnutrition indicators (stunting, underweight, wasting) in children across India since 1992-93.
* Poshan Tracker data indicates that, among children measured:
* 37.07% of children up to 5 years are stunted.
* 15.93% of children up to 5 years are underweight.
* 5.46% of children up to 5 years are wasted.
* 35.91% of children 0-6 years are stunted.
* 16.50% of children 0-6 years are underweight.
Impact Analysis:
**States and Union Territories:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for the implementation of activities under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.
* *Action Required:* Provide supplementary nutrition according to revised norms, track beneficiary data on the Poshan Tracker, and address malnutrition challenges.
**Children (0-6 years), Pregnant Women, and Lactating Mothers:**
* *Impact:* Beneficiaries of supplementary nutrition programs aimed at improving nutritional outcomes.
* *Action Required:* Register for and utilize available Anganwadi services and supplementary nutrition programs.
**Ministry of Women and Child Development:**
* *Impact:* Oversees and monitors the implementation of Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 and assesses its impact on malnutrition indicators.
* *Action Required:* Continue to monitor program effectiveness, analyze data from Poshan Tracker and NFHS, and adjust strategies as needed.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Women and Child Development: The Indian government ministry responsible for policies and programs related to women and children.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS): A centrally sponsored scheme in India that provides services for the holistic development of children aged 0-6 years, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
Poshan Tracker: A technology platform used for real-time monitoring and tracking of nutrition services and outcomes under Mission Poshan 2.0.
Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0: An umbrella mission in India that includes Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan and Scheme for Adolescent girls to address malnutrition.
National Food Security Act: An Act of the Parliament of India which aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of the country's population.
National Family Health Survey (NFHS): A large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in India to collect information on population, health, and nutrition.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India, mentioned in the context of data related to nutrition and child development programs.
Uttar Pradesh: A state in India, mentioned in the context of data related to nutrition and child development programs.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2146
TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.08.2025
NUTRITION AND HEALTH OUTCOMES
2146. DR. KALYAN VAIJINATHRAO KALE:
Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:
(a) the number of children aged 0-6 years currently enrolled in Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) along with the number of children receiving
supplementary nutrition daily, State-wise and gender-wise;
(b) the number of pregnant and lactating women receiving full Take-Home Ration (THR)
entitlements at least 80% of the time; and
(c) the percentage of underweight and wasted children (as per WHO growth standards)
tracked through Poshan Tracker or Integrated Child Development Services-
Common Application Software (ICDS-CAS) during the last five years?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)
(a) to (c): 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.
The details of number of children aged 0-6 currently registered under Saksham Anganwadi
and Mission Poshan 2.0 State-wise and gender-wise, for June 2025, as per Poshan Tracker
data are placed at Annexure-I.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-II of the National Food
Security Act. 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. The details of the
number of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, for whom Supplementary
nutrition is being provided for first quarter of FY 25-26 to the States and UTs are placed at
Annexure-II. The number of beneficiaries is based on the number of Aadhaar-verified
beneficiaries minus opt-out beneficiaries reported on the Poshan Tracker on the last day
of the first month of the preceding quarter.
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-1 to NFHS-5
are given below:
NFHS Survey Stunting % Underweight % Wasting %
NFHS-1 (1992-93)* 52 53.4 17.5
NFHS-2 (1998-99)** 45.5 47 15.5
NFHS-3 (2005-6)*** 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
* Under 4 years
** Under 3 years
*** Under 5 years
The above table 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 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
7.36 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 June, 2025 data. 7 crores
of these children were measured on growth parameters of height and weight. 37.07% of
them have been found to be stunted, 15.93% have been found to be underweight and 5.46%
wasted.Further, the projected population of all children in India up to 6 years for the year 2021 is
approximately 16.1 crores. As per the June, 2025 data of Poshan Tracker, 8.61 crores
children (0-6 years) were enrolled in Anganwadis out of whom 8.19 crores were measured
on growth parameters of height and weight. 35.91% of these children (0-6 years) have been
found to be stunted and 16.50% children (0-6 years) have been found to be underweight.
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 wasting and
underweight of June, 2025 as per Poshan Tracker data is placed at Annexure III.
*****Annexure-I
ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF LOK SABHA QUESTION NO. 2146
FOR 01.08.2025 REGARDING “NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH OUTCOMES” ASKED BY
DR. KALYAN VAIJINATHRAO KALE
The details of the number of children aged 0-6 years currently registered under Saksham
Anganwadi and Mission Poshan 2.0, State-wise and gender-wise, for June 2025, as per
Poshan Tracker data are as below:
State/UTs Male Female
Andaman & Nicobar Islands 5177 5214
Andhra Pradesh 1248364 1184544
Arunachal Pradesh 43114 42953
Assam 1330018 1300011
Bihar 4887451 4488619
Chhattisgarh 1088543 1080736
Dadra & Nagar Haveli - Daman & Diu 16096 15340
Delhi 264432 259593
Goa 21603 21409
Gujarat 1489002 1410711
Haryana 898982 845256
Himachal Pradesh 238740 225076
J&K 393562 389381
Jharkhand 1425494 1326232
Karnataka 1783251 1737055
Kerala 908417 884969
Ladakh 8382 8252
Lakshadweep 1832 1698
Madhya Pradesh 3299905 3173155
Maharashtra 2997129 2782614
Manipur 135070 130408
Meghalaya 198878 196327
Mizoram 50522 49360
Nagaland 52063 50422
Odisha 1668062 1582746
Puducherry 14331 14368
Punjab 746492 694334
Rajasthan 1830291 1757517
Sikkim 14854 14380
Tamil Nadu 1905176 1802364
Telangana 952444 884528Tripura 143640 140833
UT-Chandigarh 16262 15894
Uttar Pradesh 10177900 9197301
Uttarakhand 311082 298449
West Bengal 3876127 3693851Annexure-II
ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA QUESTION NO.
2146 FOR 01.08.2025 REGARDING “NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH OUTCOMES”
ASKED BY DR. KALYAN VAIJINATHRAO KALE
The details of the number of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, for whom
Supplementary nutrition is being provided for first quarter of FY 25-26 to the States and UTs
are as below:
S.No State/UT Children (6M to Pregnant Women
6 years) along and Lactating
with SAM and Mothers
SUW
1 Andhra Pradesh 2265268 457921
2 Bihar 9748727 1303166
3 Chhattisgarh 2058585 340451
4 Goa 47981 8685
5 Gujarat 2914466 457810
6 Haryana 1045481 256160
7 Jharkhand 2673987 352302
8 Karnataka 3433879 669253
9 Kerala 1401671 226788
10 Madhya Pradesh 6110914 954001
11 Maharashtra 5449195 754318
12 Odisha 3100626 554701
13 Punjab 1069507 204284
14 Rajasthan 3382644 673563
15 Tamil Nadu 2367566 610932
16 Telangana 1623580 293402
17 Uttar Pradesh 19179628 2850060
18 West Bengal 7129078 1138312
19 Delhi 525234 141263
20 Puducherry 32554 7691
21 Himachal Pradesh 284334 75635
22 J&K 748029 112432
23 Uttarakhand 625923 131129
24 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 10190 1783
25 UT-Chandigarh 22016 7311
26 Dadra & Nagar Haveli - Daman & 23587 5959
Diu
27 Ladakh 16577 2422
28 Lakshadweep 3936 79529 Arunachal Pradesh 70284 4818
30 Assam 2598489 309595
31 Manipur 259280 20767
32 Meghalaya 359214 39865
33 Mizoram 99058 12192
34 Nagaland 75205 3591
35 Sikkim 23751 3489
36 Tripura 276613 33620Annexure-III
ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF LOK SABHA QUESTION NO. 2146
FOR 01.08.2025 REGARDING “NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH OUTCOMES” ASKED BY
DR. KALYAN VAIJINATHRAO KALE
State-wise detail of malnutrition indicators of children (0-5 years) in the country for June,
2025 from Poshan Tracker data are as follows:
S. No. State Wasting% Underweight%
1 Andhra Pradesh 4.97 7.68
2 Arunachal Pradesh 5.18 11.65
3 Assam 4.50 16.88
4 Bihar 9.31 20.98
5 Chhattisgarh 7.77 14.23
6 Goa 0.78 1.96
7 Gujarat 7.28 18.41
8 Haryana 3.83 7.85
9 Himachal Pradesh 2.41 6.88
10 Jharkhand 6.68 19.13
11 Karnataka 3.18 16.50
12 Kerala 3.20 10.18
13 Madhya Pradesh 8.19 24.82
14 Maharashtra 4.01 14.80
15 Manipur 0.67 2.69
16 Meghalaya 1.11 5.14
17 Mizoram 2.98 6.33
18 Nagaland 6.08 7.00
19 Odisha 3.21 11.63
20 Punjab 2.95 5.12
21 Rajasthan 6.49 17.57
22 Sikkim 1.95 1.69
23 Tamil Nadu 3.54 6.29
24 Telangana 5.93 17.00
25 Tripura 7.68 18.01
26 Uttar Pradesh 5.04 19.96
27 Uttarakhand 2.47 6.31
28 West Bengal 4.75 9.00
29 Andaman & Nicobar 1.66 2.93
Islands30 Dadra & Nagar 3.56 17.45
Haveli - Daman &
Diu
31 Delhi 3.81 15.35
32 J&K 1.55 4.05
33 Ladakh 0.25 1.98
34 Lakshadweep 11.62 22.54
35 Puducherry 6.40 12.20
36 UT-Chandigarh 5.34 14.69
*****