The Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, will launch the 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026 on 9th September 2026 at the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Smt. Annpurna Devi, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, will launch the month-long campaign in the august presence of Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh; Smt. Savitri Thakur, Minister of State for Women and Child Development; and Smt. Baby Rani Maurya, Cabinet Minister for Women Welfare, Child Development and Nutrition, Government of Uttar Pradesh. Senior dignitaries from the Government of India and States and UTs, development partners, frontline functionaries and beneficiaries will join the launch event.

Guided by the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi of a Suposhit Bharat as the foundation of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, Poshan Abhiyaan was launched in 2018 to place nutrition at the centre of the national development agenda. Rashtriya Poshan Maah, observed every September, has since grown into a Jan Andolan that mobilises communities to strengthen nutrition, health and caregiving behaviours among women, children and adolescents. The 9th edition carries this journey forward under the theme “Hamari Anganwadi Hamari Jimmedari”, calling upon every citizen to take shared ownership of the Anganwadi Centre as the first point of nutrition, health, care and early learning for the nation’s children.

This year’s campaign draws momentum from the revised Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) Guidelines under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, which, for the first time, define Hot Cooked Meals and mandate SNP Menu Boards, and guidelines for the establishment of Anganwadi Management Committees. Building on these reforms, Poshan Maah 2026 will be anchored in five mutually reinforcing themes.

The first theme, Dietary Diversity and Adequate Protein, will see Anganwadi Centres hold live demonstrations of healthy recipes using affordable, local ingredients from all food groups, while Poshan Melas and a ‘Protein-Rich Foods’ campaign will promote balanced diets and practical ways of adding plant- and animal-based protein to daily meals.

Closely linked to this, the second theme Fresh Hot Cooked Meals at Anganwadi Centres will encourage States and UTs to operationalise weekly menu rotation using millets, pulses and seasonal vegetables, supported by live HCM demonstrations and community tasting sessions involving parents, Panchayats, Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Anganwadi Management Committees (AMCs).

To ensure greater transparency, accountability and community participation in the delivery of these services, Community Ownership and Accountability has been identified as a third key theme of Poshan Maah. The theme will drive the accelerated constitution and operationalisation of Anganwadi Management Committees (AMCs) across all Anganwadi Centres, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry on 25th June 2026. As part of Poshan Maah, at least one AMC meeting will be held at every Anganwadi Centre to review service delivery and strengthen community participation. Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP) Menu Boards will be displayed at every Centre to make daily menus and entitlements visible, and AMCs and Mothers’ Committees will monitor meal quality and menu adherence.

Recognising that what a child eats shapes how a child learns, the fourth theme of Poshan Maah — Nutrition, Early Stimulation and Education for Childhood Development — focuses on nurturing children’s health, development and learning during the foundational years. For children aged 0 to 3 years, Anganwadi Workers reach families through Home Visits, guided by Navchetana and supported by the revised Home Visit Scheduler, to provide counselling messages promoting responsive caregiving and early stimulation through age-appropriate activities and to undertake observation of 34 developmental milestones. During Poshan Maah, all Anganwadi Centres will run a dedicated drive to record the developmental milestones of all enrolled children aged 0–3 years, with fast-track referrals of all children requiring interventions during Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs) in convergence with the health department and Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK). For children aged 3 to 6 years, Anganwadi Centres support early learning through Aadharshila and play-based activities. As part of Poshan Maah, every Anganwadi Centre will celebrate Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Day with parent-child activities to showcase the early learning of children aged 3–6 years. Each Centre will also conduct exposure visits to nearby Government primary schools for children aged 5–6 years and organise community-led resource mobilisation drives for toys and play and learning materials. The Centres will organise community-based quiz competitions on nutrition and childcare practices. Community viewing of IEC videos on traditional childcare practices, newborn care and parent-infant interaction will also be conducted.

Finally, Poshan Maah 2026 will celebrate Ten Years of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), the flagship maternity benefit programme that has supported maternal nutrition and health-seeking behaviour for a decade as a fifth theme. A 100% saturation drive will enrol all eligible pregnant and lactating women, expedite Direct Benefit Transfers, and launch a PMMVY Toolkit for localisation by State and UTs.

Launch Event Highlights

The launch programme will open with a walkthrough of the Poshan Mela by the dignitaries and the lighting of the lamp. Beneficiary testimonial videos on Hot Cooked Meals, Take Home Ration, Home Visits and ECCE will be screened, followed by a live interaction between the Union Minister and the Anganwadi Workers. Films marking 10 years of PMMVY and the Poshan Maah 2026 launch will set the stage for the dignitaries to formally launch the campaign.

Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026 will be observed across all States and UTs through community events at Anganwadi Centres, schools, Panchayats and Households, reaffirming that a well-nourished child is the shared responsibility of every citizen and the surest foundation of a Viksit Bharat.

***

SS/PC