The 9th National Nutrition Month 2026 will be launched in Varanasi by Union Minister Annapurna Devi. The campaign, themed ‘Our Anganwadis, Our Responsibility,’ will focus on five key areas including dietary diversity and early childhood education.
Poshan Abhiyaan and the 2026 Theme
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making a well-nourished India the foundation of a developed India by 2047, the Poshan Abhiyaan was launched in 2018 to place nutrition at the centre of the national development agenda. National Nutrition Month, celebrated every year in September, has since become a mass movement that mobilises communities to strengthen nutrition, health, and care behaviours among women, children, and adolescents. The ninth edition of the campaign takes this nutrition journey forward under the theme “Our Anganwadis, Our Responsibility,” calling on every citizen to take shared responsibility for the Anganwadi centre, the first hub of nutrition, health, care, and early education for the country’s children.
This year’s campaign will gain momentum from the revised Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP) guidelines under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. These guidelines define hot cooked meals for the first time and mandate SNP menu boards. They also provide guidelines for the establishment of Anganwadi Management Committees.
Five Key Themes of Poshan Maah 2026
Building on these reforms, Poshan Maah 2026 will focus on five interconnected themes.
Dietary Diversity and Adequate Protein
Under the first theme, Dietary Diversity and Adequate Protein, Anganwadi centres will showcase live demonstrations of healthy recipes using affordable, locally sourced ingredients from all food groups, while nutrition fairs and the ‘Protein Rich Foods’ campaign will promote a balanced diet and practical ways to incorporate plant-based and animal-based proteins into daily meals.
Fresh Hot Cooked Meals at Anganwadi Centres
Closely linked to this, the second theme, ‘Fresh Hot Cooked Meals at Anganwadi Centres’, will encourage states and union territories to implement a weekly menu rotation using millets, pulses, and seasonal vegetables. This will also be reinforced by live HCM demonstrations and fresh food tasting programs involving parents, panchayats, self-help groups (SHGs), and Anganwadi Management Committees (AMCs).
Community Ownership and Accountability
To ensure greater transparency, accountability, and community participation in the delivery of these services, community ownership and accountability have been identified as the third key theme of the Nutrition Month. This theme will accelerate the formation and operationalisation of Anganwadi Management Committees (AMCs) in all Anganwadi centres, as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry on June 25, 2026. During the Nutrition Month, at least one AMC meeting will be held in each Anganwadi centre to review service delivery and strengthen community participation. Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP) menu boards will be displayed in each centre to clearly display the daily menu and entitlements, and AMCs and Mother Committees will monitor food quality and menu compliance.
Nutrition, Early Childhood Encouragement, and Education
Recognising that a child’s eating habits impact their learning, the fourth theme of this Nutrition Month – Nutrition, Early Childhood Encouragement, and Education for Child Development, focuses on nurturing children’s health, development, and learning in the early years. For children aged birth to 3 years, Anganwadi workers, guided by Navchetna and supported by a revised home visit schedule, visit families door-to-door, provide counselling messages to promote early developmental stimulation through sensitive care and age-appropriate activities, and monitor 34 developmental milestones. During this Nutrition Month, all Anganwadi centres will conduct a special campaign to record developmental milestones for all enrolled children aged 0-3 years, and provide prompt referrals to all children requiring intervention during Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs) in coordination with the Health Department and the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK). Anganwadi centres support children aged 3 to 6 years in early childhood education through foundation and play-based activities. Under Nutrition Month, each Anganwadi centre will celebrate Early Childhood Care and Education (ECC) Day with parent-child activities to showcase early childhood education for children aged 3 to 6 years. Each centre will organise excursions for children aged 5 to 6 years to nearby government primary schools and conduct community-level resource mobilisation campaigns for toys, games, and learning materials. Anganwadi centres will organise community quiz competitions on nutrition and childcare practices. Community screenings of IEC videos on traditional childcare practices, newborn care, and parent-child interaction will also be held.
Celebrating 10 Years of PMMVY
Finally, the fifth theme of Nutrition Month 2026 will be celebrating the completion of ten years of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). PMMVY is a key component of the maternity benefit program, which has promoted maternal nutrition and health behaviours for a decade. A full-scale expansion campaign will be launched to mark the occasion, enrolling all eligible pregnant and lactating women, accelerating direct benefit transfers, and launching the PMMVY toolkit for localisation by states and union territories.
Launch Event Highlights
The event will begin with dignitaries visiting the Poshan Mela and lighting a lamp. Videos sharing beneficiaries’ experiences related to hot cooked meals, take-home rations, door-to-door support, and primary education and child development (ECC) will be shown, followed by a live interaction between the Union Minister and Anganwadi workers. The dignitaries will formally launch the campaign with films celebrating the 10th anniversary of PMMVY and the launch of Poshan Maah 2026.
National Nutrition Month 2026 will be celebrated in all States and Union Territories through community programmes in Anganwadi Centres, Schools, Panchayats and homes, reaffirming that a well-nourished child is the shared responsibility of every citizen and the strongest foundation of a developed India. (ANI)
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