Supplementary nutrition is provided to beneficiaries through the network of 13.97 lakh AWC located across the country by providing morning snacks, Hot Cooked Meals and Take Home Ration (not raw ration). The primary focus of the Supplementary Nutrition Programme is to bridge the gap between recommended dietary allowance and the average daily intake. State governments have been advised by the Ministry of Women and Child Dvelopment to promote diet diversity, agro-climatic regional meal plans and adopt AYUSH practices in the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP).

Government has approved “SakshamAnganwadi and Poshan 2.0”- An Integrated Nutrition Support Programme scheme of MWCD, during the 15th Finance Commission period 2021-22 to 2025-26. The “Common Core” of SakshamAnganwadi and Poshan 2.0 centre on Maternal Nutrition, Infant and Young Child Feeding Norms, Treatment Protocols for SAM/MAM and Wellness through AYUSH practices to reduce wasting and under-weight prevalence besides stunting and anemia.

Under Mission SakshamAnganwadi and Poshan 2.0, time-tested traditional wisdom in community nutritional practices is sought to be leveraged through Ayush formulations and simple Ayurveda interventions to improve digestive capacity, absorption of nutrients, address anemia and aid in management of malnutrition for the holistic nourishment of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

As per the guidelines of Mission SakshamAnganwadi and Poshan 2.0, convergence with Ministry of Ayush is envisaged as follows:

• Populate PoshanVatikas with medicinal plant and saplings, technical assistance, etc.
• Recommend local recipes integrating locally grown vegetables & food substances, red rice, various millets etc. Ghee or locally produced oils in Take Home Ration (not raw ration) recipes and cow’s milk
• Recommend various AYUSH practices/products that have been successfully used for reducing wasting, anemia, and low birth weight and bolster immunity. In some districts of the country, anAyush component has been included in Take-Home Ration for Pregnant Women, Lactating Mother and Children.

Ministry has also endorsed and circulated to all States/ UTs, general dietary advisory, advisory for pregnant women, lactating mothers, children, specific recommendations for anemia in pregnancy and malnourished children, developed by Ministry of Ayush.

As per the SakshamAnganwadi and Poshan 2.0 Scheme guidelines and Streamlined Guidelines issued on 13^th January 2021, the District Nutrition Committee chaired by the District Magistrate includes the District –in charge Ayush Officer as a member, with responsibilities as follows:

• Focus on prevention of diseases and promote wellness through Yoga at AWCs and households.
• Identify medicinal plants and herbs, fruit trees for cultivation in PoshanVatikas

The Guidelines have emphasized on scaling-up of successful projects to manage anemia, e.g., pilot on ‘Drakshavaleha’ and promote use of AYUSH diet under Poshan 2.0 in co-ordination with Anganwadi Centres and Schools.

 

Government is encouraging setting up of PoshanVatikas (Nutri-Gardens) at or near Anganwadicenters (AWC), state-owned schools wherever possible, and on Gram Panchayat lands where women and children are most likely to benefit. This will help to provide food security and diet diversity to address malnutrition at the community level; address micro nutrient deficiency-related malnutrition and supplement staple-based diets/rations to meet requirements of essential nutrients with a significant amount of macro and micro nutrients.

Ayush practices focusing on prevention of diseases and promotion of wellness through Yoga, cultivation of medicinal herbs in PoshanVatikas, and use of AYUSH formulations to treat underlying disorders has been considered under SakshamAnganwadi and Poshan 2.0 for the holistic nourishment of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. Total 41106 PoshanVatikas has been developed in Uttar Pradesh (Annexure-I).

 

This information was given by the MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

 

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SS/AKS

 

Annexure I

Number of Anganwadi Centres equipped with PoshanVatika in Uttar Pradesh

 

Sr. No	District Name	(Number of Anganwadi Centres equipped with PoshanVatika)
	Agra	710
	Aligarh	690
	Ambedkar Nagar	510
	Amethi	389
	Amroha	286
	Auraiya	358
	Ayodhya	476
	Azamgarh	1518
	Baghpat	469
	Bahraich	708
	Ballia	694
	Balrampur	376
	Banda	441
	Barabanki	611
	Bareilly	571
	Basti	531
	Bhadohi	298
	Bijnor	636
	Budaun	588
	Bulandshahr	793
	Chandauli	375
	Chitrakoot	292
	Deoria	649
	Etah	373
	Etawah	313
	Farrukhabad	356
	Fatehpur	689
	Firozabad	608
	Gautam Buddha Nagar	222
	Ghaziabad	275
	Ghazipur	825
	Gonda	619
	Gorakhpur	834
	Hamirpur	356
	Hapur	277
	Hardoi	786
	Hathras	342
	Jalaun	383
	Jaunpur	1218
	Jhansi	376
	Kannauj	323
	Kanpur Dehat	358
	Kanpur Nagar	527
	Kasganj	589
	Kaushambi	355
	Kheri	811
	Kushi Nagar	827
	Lalitpur	225
	Lucknow	546
	Maharajganj	627
	Mahoba	176
	Mainpuri	358
	Mathura	473
	Mau	617
	Meerut	515
	Mirzapur	534
	Moradabad	548
	Muzaffarnagar	455
	Pilibhit	392
	Pratapgarh	650
	Prayagraj	900
	Rae Bareli	667
	Rampur	640
	Saharanpur	682
	Sambhal	516
	SantKabeer Nagar	543
	Shahjahanpur	583
	Shamli	281
	Shravasti	285
	Siddharth Nagar	728
	Sitapur	846
	Sonbhadra	536
	Sultanpur	602
	Unnao	680
	Varanasi	890
Total		41106

 

(Release ID: 1908006)