8th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2025 Concludes in Dehradun – Call for a Suposhit Bharat by 2047
8th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2025 Concludes in Dehradun – Call for a Suposhit Bharat by 2047
Dehradun : The Concluding Ceremony of the 8th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2025 was organized at the Himalayan Cultural Centre, Dehradun, on Friday. Smt. Savitri Thakur, Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development, graced the event as Chief Guest. The event marked the culmination of a month-long Jan Andolan dedicated to nutrition awareness, community participation, and behavioural change.
The event was also attended by Smt. Rekha Arya, Minister for Women Empowerment and Child Development, Government of Uttarakhand; Shri Ganesh Joshi, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Government of Uttarakhand; Shri Lav Agarwal, Additional Secretary, MoWCD, Government of India; Shri Chandresh Kumar Yadav, Secretary, Department of Women Empowerment and Child Development, Uttarakhand; and Smt. Radhika Jha, Joint Secretary, MoWCD, Government of India.
Addressing the gathering, Smt. Savitri Thakur said, “Nutrition is not merely a programme; it is our national responsibility and moral commitment towards every child and mother in India.” She emphasized that the Poshan Abhiyaan, launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 8 March 2018, has evolved into a transformative Jan Andolan, uniting multiple ministries and citizens under a shared vision of ‘Empowered Women, Nourished India’.
She highlighted the first 1,000 days—from conception to two years of age—as the most crucial period for a child’s growth and development, adding that “a healthy mother gives birth to a strong generation; when every household’s plate is balanced, the nation becomes stronger.”
Focusing on the theme of ‘Healthy Women, Strong Families’, Smt. Thakur said women are the foundation of every family. Referring to the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, she mentioned that obesity has become a major challenge, and Poshan Maah aims to make nutrition a people’s movement through community participation.
She said that this year’s Poshan Maah was particularly inclusive, with men and youth also participating actively alongside women. “Today’s well-nourished children are the citizens of a Suposhit Bharat in 2047,” she remarked. She also appreciated the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign and called for collective action against social evils like child marriage.
Smt. Thakur praised the active participation of States and Union Territories during Poshan Maah and lauded the dedication of Anganwadi workers and field functionaries, emphasizing that the campaign’s end marks a new beginning of a sustained movement that should reach every household in India.
Earlier, Shri Lav Agarwal, Additional Secretary, MoWCD, presented progress made under Mission Poshan 2.0, highlighting how digital governance and real-time monitoring tools have strengthened service delivery and transparency.
He informed that through 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres across 36 States and UTs, services are being provided to over 10 crore beneficiaries, including children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls. He noted that the Poshan Tracker App has revolutionized service delivery and beneficiary management.
More than 13 lakh Anganwadi workers have been equipped with smartphones linked to the app, ensuring accurate data and timely nutrition delivery. Around 13.87 lakh centres have also been provided with growth monitoring devices.
According to NFHS-5 data, India has shown a notable decline in key malnutrition indicators — stunting has reduced from 38.4% to 35.5%, and underweight prevalence has dropped from 35.8% to 32.1%. “These are not just numbers,” said Agarwal, “but rays of hope for millions of children moving from malnutrition to nutrition.”
He further mentioned that 2 lakh Anganwadi Centres are being upgraded as ‘Saksham Anganwadi Centres’, equipped with safe drinking water, sanitation, ECCE learning materials, and digital tools, laying the foundation for a Suposhit Bharat 2047. “This is not just about implementing schemes,” he said, “but about nurturing a generation that will be India’s Amrit Peedhi in 2047—healthy, educated, empowered, and compassionate.”
During the ceremony, Smt. Rekha Arya emphasized that nutrition for children and pregnant women is the true strength of a “Golden India.” She praised the Government’s efforts, noting that real-time data through the Poshan Tracker has made service delivery more transparent and accountable, calling it “a seal of trust on ground-level commitment.”
Shri Ganesh Joshi welcomed dignitaries and Anganwadi workers, highlighting that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Uttarakhand has recorded a significant reduction in Anemia. Referring to 2023 as the International Year of Millets, he called millets a “game-changer” for both nutrition and local agriculture, adding that traditional local produce is the backbone of India’s nutritional self-reliance.
Smt. Thakur also visited an exhibition organized by the Department of Women Empowerment and Child Development, Uttarakhand, where she interacted with Anganwadi workers and local producers displaying millet-based items such as Kodou, Kauni, Jhangora etc.
She felicitated Poshan Champions and Mission Shakti Champions, and distributed Mahalaxmi Kits. Through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), she also transferred an amount of 1,56,33,000 as part of the Mukhyamantri Vatsalya Yojana to 5211 beneficiaries of the state.
A video message from Union Minister Smt. Annapurna Devi was also screened during the programme, where she said that under the Poshan Abhiyaan, the Government of India aims to ensure that every child is healthy and every mother is empowered. She recalled that while launching Poshan Abhiyaan 2025 from Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, the Prime Minister had emphasized that “Healthy Women, Strong Families, and a Developed India” are interconnected pillars of progress.