Close to 4.37 lakh Anganwadi Centres have set up Poshan Vatikas or Nutri-gardens, Ministry of Women and Child Development informed on Friday. In addition to that 1.10 lakh medicinal saplings have also been planted across some of the selected districts of 6 states. These interventions, the Ministry said was done jointly with Ministry of Ayush.

Under the ongoing Poshan Maah 2022, over 1.5 lakh events on retrofitting Poshan Vatikas with backyard poultry and fishery units have been reported.

Also, more than 75 thousand sensitization camps have been conducted to promote millets and backyard kitchen gardens. Interestingly, to replicate the model of Poshan Vatikas at/around new AWCs, close to 40 thousand land identification drives for nutri-gardens/Poshan Vatikas have also been reported under Poshan Maah so far.

Photo credit: Ministry of Women and Child Development/PIB New Delhi.

Launched on 8 March 2018, POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to improve nutritional outcomes for children, adolescents, pregnant women & lactating mothers. The Abhiyaan is a key component of Mission Poshan 2.0 which seeks to address the challenges of malnutrition in children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers through a strategic shift in nutrition content and delivery and by creation of a convergent eco-system to develop and promote practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity.

A key plank of the goal to enable the right kind of nourishment are the Poshan Vatikas which will provide a fresh and regular supply of locally produced fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants to women and children straight from a nutri-garden at or near an Anganwadi Centre.