Varanasi: The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development will launch the ninth National Poshan Maah 2026 at the Rudraksha International Cooperation and Convention Centre in Varanasi on Wednesday.Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi will inaugurate the month-long campaign in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur, and Uttar Pradesh Minister for Women Welfare, Child Development and Nutrition Baby Rani Maurya.Senior representatives of the Centre, states and Union Territories, development partners, grassroots workers and beneficiaries are expected to attend the event.This year’s Poshan Maah will be held under the theme, “Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Zimmedari”, with a focus on greater community ownership of Anganwadi Centres.The campaign will be guided by revised Supplementary Nutrition Programme guidelines under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. The new guidelines define hot cooked meals, mandate the display of SNP menu boards and provide for the formation of Anganwadi Management Committees.Poshan Maah 2026 will focus on five key areas — dietary diversity and adequate protein, fresh hot cooked meals at Anganwadi Centres, community ownership and accountability, nutrition and early childhood development, and the completion of 10 years of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.Anganwadi Centres will organise healthy recipe demonstrations, Poshan Melas and awareness campaigns to promote balanced diets and protein-rich foods. States and Union Territories will also be encouraged to introduce rotating weekly menus featuring millets, pulses and seasonal vegetables.A special drive will be conducted to record developmental milestones of children aged up to three years, while centres will also organise activities to promote early learning among children aged three to six years.The campaign will also mark a decade of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, with a nationwide outreach drive to enrol eligible pregnant and lactating women and accelerate the delivery of benefits.National Poshan Maah is observed every September and is aimed at improving nutrition, health and care practices among women, children and adolescents through community participation.
