The Ministry of Women and Child Development will launch the 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026 on 9 September at Varanasi. Union Minister Smt. Annpurna Devi will lead the campaign, which runs for the entire month of September and involves community participation across all states and union territories. The initiative focuses on nutrition, maternal health and early childhood development through Anganwadi Centres.
What the campaign covers
This year’s theme is “Hamari Anganwadi Hamari Jimmedari” (Our Anganwadi, Our Responsibility), emphasising shared community ownership of nutrition programmes. The month-long campaign has five main focus areas:
- Dietary diversity and protein: Anganwadi Centres will conduct cooking demonstrations using affordable local ingredients from all food groups, with community tasting sessions and campaigns promoting plant and animal-based proteins.
- Hot cooked meals: States and union territories will introduce weekly rotating menus featuring millets, pulses and seasonal vegetables, with demonstrations and parent involvement.
- Community accountability: Anganwadi Management Committees will be set up or strengthened at all centres following guidelines issued on 25 June 2026. These committees will hold regular meetings to review meal quality and service delivery, with menu boards displayed visibly at each centre.
- Child development and early learning: For children aged 0 to 3 years, Anganwadi workers will track 34 developmental milestones through home visits and refer children needing support. For children aged 3 to 6 years, centres will celebrate early childhood education day with parent-child activities and arrange school exposure visits.
- Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: The campaign marks ten years of this maternity benefit scheme and will aim for complete enrolment of eligible pregnant and lactating women.
What this means for you
If you have young children or are pregnant or lactating, your nearest Anganwadi Centre will be conducting special activities and demonstrations during September aimed at improving nutrition and tracking child development. Parents are encouraged to attend community events, participate in committee meetings and ensure their children’s developmental milestones are recorded. All eligible pregnant and lactating women should check with their centre about enrolment in the maternity benefit scheme.