What happened: upgrade of Anganwadi Centres as Saksham Anganwadis

Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) approved the upgrade of two lakh Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) as Saksham Anganwadis. The stated purpose of the upgraded AWCs is delivery of improved nutrition and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) activities for beneficiaries covered under the Mission.

Background and earlier position: convergence under Mission Poshan 2.0

The Mission Poshan 2.0 umbrella subsumes the nutrition and related interventions for addressing malnutrition: Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan, and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls, as presented by the Ministry. The Mission is implemented across all States and Union Territories, including high burden districts, with implementation responsibilities with States and Union Territories.

The Mission covers beneficiaries including children under 6 years of age, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls. In Aspirational Districts and the North-Eastern region, adolescent girls in the age range 14–18 years are included under the Mission framework.

What changed now: infrastructure, norm-based supplementary nutrition, and digital monitoring