Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare convened a two-day National Workshop on Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (AMB) on 12–13 August 2026 in New Delhi, bringing together over 160 participants from all States and Union Territories, along with representatives from the Ministries of Education; Women and Child Development; Panchayati Raj; Youth Affairs and Sports; and Tribal Affairs, as well as experts and development and implementation partners. The workshop focused on strengthening the implementation of the revised AMB Abhiyaan and translating the 7×7×7 strategy from policy into effective action on the ground across the country.

The revised AMB Abhiyaan Operational Guidelines, launched by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri J.P. Nadda on 29 June 2026 during the Conference of Central Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW), mark a decisive shift in India’s approach to addressing anaemia. Moving beyond a programme focused primarily on supplementation and prophylaxis, the revised guidelines adopt a comprehensive, evidence-based approach centred on testing, case-based management, treatment compliance, consumption of a diverse and nutritious diet, and digital tracking through integrated portals for effective monitoring of beneficiaries.

Addressing the workshop, Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, called for stronger convergence across health programmes and closer coordination among ministries to address Anemia comprehensively with better-aligned interventions, screening efforts and service delivery platforms. She also flagged the need to strengthen public awareness and extend supplementation efforts beyond pregnancy to younger age groups through a life-course approach.

Speaking at the Occasion, Smt. Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary & Mission Director, National Health Mission, stressed the importance of effective implementation of the revised AMB Abhiyaan framework at the State, district, facility and community levels. She highlighted the transition from the earlier 6×6×6 framework to the strengthened 7×7×7 approach stressing on improving consumption and compliance to iron supplementation, strengthening beneficiary participation through Jan Bhagidari, and ensuring that State-level innovations and field experiences translate into measurable improvements in programme performance. She further emphasised on digital tracking through the AMB Abhiyaan digital platforms and its linkages to existing portals.

Ms. Meera Srivastava, Joint Secretary (RCH), MoHFW, underscored the need for a paradigm shift from a static, compliance-focused approach to one centred on testing, tracking and timely resolution. She emphasised greater transparency and accurate understanding of prevalence of anemia across beneficiaries, beneficiary-level digital line-listing and data management and integration with other health programmes.

Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, highlighted the importance of an evidence-based approach to anemia management. He stressed on the importance of evidence-based programme planning, emphasizing on timely testing, severity- and cause-appropriate treatment, repeat testing after three months, healthy iron-rich diets, newer iron formulations where appropriate, and implementation research to strengthen programme effectiveness.

Dr. M. Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog, called for a collaborative, holistic and multi-sectoral approach to anemia management. He emphasised on continued importance of micronutrients, iron and protein intake, dietary diversity and understanding underlying diseases and other clinical conditions, all of which effects the outcome of the treatment. He also highlighted the importance of stronger stakeholder engagement, improved treatment and consumption, digital convergence and the use of advanced analytics and AI approaches to identify high-burden clusters and plan targeted action.

A major highlight of the workshop was the launch of the Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan Application and Portal, aimed at strengthening beneficiary-level tracking, follow-up and management of Anemia. The digital platform is intended to support tracking of beneficiaries identified through screening for monitoring of treatment and compliance, continuity of care, follow-up until resolution. It will also help identify gaps requiring intervention and generation of data for programme review and corrective action.

The workshop also featured the launch of IEC materials and recognition of States/ UTs demonstrating strong performance in implementation of AMB interventions. Dedicated technical sessions covered Anemia screening and testing, digital application and data analytics, prophylaxis and deworming, compliance frameworks, and roles and responsibilities across the delivery chain.

A defining feature of the second day was structured group work by State and UT teams, organised around three thematic tracks: Jan Bhagidari for community ownership, Inter-ministerial coordination, and Implementation challenges. States shared field experiences and practical innovations on each track, with consolidated learnings feeding directly into the way forward for AMB implementation nationally reinforcing the workshop's emphasis on States as co-owners of the Abhiyaan rather than only implementers of it. This was paired with technical sessions on therapeutic management, including oral and intravenous iron protocols, Jan Bhagidari and Eating Right.

The workshop highlighted the need coordinated action across government departments, health-system functionaries, communities, academic and research institutions and partners at every level, to move Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan for a Swasth Viksit Bharat

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HFW/ Two Day National Workshop on Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (AMB) /13 August 2026/1

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