What happened: Mission Poshan 2.0 adds evaluation evidence and a digital tracking tool

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) described evaluation findings for malnutrition interventions under Poshan Abhiyaan and Mission Poshan 2.0, and also announced rollout of the Poshan Tracker digital application for monitoring services delivered to beneficiaries. MoWCD further stated that Facial Recognition System (FRS) within Poshan Tracker is used for last-mile tracking of service delivery, specifically for distribution of Take-Home Ration, to ensure that benefits reach intended Aadhaar-registered beneficiaries and to reduce leakages and ghost entries.

Background and earlier position: Poshan Abhiyaan evidence and behaviour-change indicators

NITI Aayog conducted a third-party evaluation and impact assessment of Poshan Abhiyaan in 2020. The evaluation found the relevance of Poshan Abhiyaan to be satisfactory for tackling malnutrition in the country.

In 2021, the World Bank conducted a survey under Poshan Abhiyaan across 11 States, including Andhra Pradesh. The States were selected based on high prevalence of stunting among children and anaemia among women. MoWCD stated that the survey showed improved nutrition behaviours with respect to services delivered through Poshan Abhiyaan, including: Nutrition messages reached more than 80% of women.81% of women practiced exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.

What changed now: Mission Poshan 2.0 evaluation and Poshan Tracker rollout

Related current affairs