9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah To Be Launched In Varanasi On Wednesday

The 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026 will be launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in Varanasi on Wednesday. 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.

Guided by the vision of Prime Minister 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, to be launched by Union Minister of Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi, 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.

Poshan Maah 2026 will be anchored in five mutually reinforcing themes. The themes include, Dietary Diversity and Adequate Protein, Fresh Hot Cooked Meals at Anganwadi Centres, Community Ownership and Accountability and Nutrition, Early Stimulation and Education for Childhood Development.