ICDS and Poshan Abhiyaan
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Direct answer
ICDS and Poshan Abhiyaan form India's main public nutrition and early-childhood framework. ICDS started in 1975 and delivers six services to children under six, pregnant women and lactating mothers through Anganwadi Centres. Poshan Abhiyaan, launched in 2018, added convergence and national targets for stunting, underweight, anaemia and low birth weight.
What you must remember
- Start and reach: ICDS began on 2 October 1975 and serves children under six, pregnant and lactating women and adolescent girls through Anganwadi Centres.
- Six services: supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check-ups, referral services, pre-school non-formal education, and nutrition and health education.
- Supplementary nutrition: take-home ration for children aged six months to three years and a hot cooked meal for ages three to six, per the Ministry norms in force.
- Growth monitoring: children are weighed monthly and plotted on the growth chart; a flat or falling curve triggers counselling and follow-up.
- Severe acute malnutrition: mid-upper arm circumference below 115 mm, weight-for-height below minus three z-scores or bilateral oedema; these children are referred for facility treatment.
- Poshan Abhiyaan: the National Nutrition Mission launched on 8 March 2018, with commonly quoted annual reduction targets of about 2 percentage points for stunting and 3 for anaemia.
- Poshan 2.0: the 2021 successor under the Saksham Anganwadi scheme carries the mission forward, so the latest Ministry norms govern practice.
How an Anganwadi nutrition visit runs
The Anganwadi worker turns the monthly weighing into a referral decision. Each step below follows the sequence a child moves through at the centre.
- Enrolment: the worker registers every eligible child, pregnant woman and lactating mother living in the centre's area.
- Monthly weighing: children are weighed on a calibrated scale, and the weight is plotted on the growth chart.
- Curve reading: a rising curve is reassured, while a flat or falling curve prompts counselling of the mother and a feeding review.
- Supplementary nutrition: the age-specific take-home ration or hot cooked meal is provided, with added support for severely underweight children. Take-home ration is a dry ration for home use, while the hot cooked meal is prepared at the centre.
- Referral: children with severe acute malnutrition, identified by mid-upper arm circumference or weight-for-height, are referred to a facility.
- Review: immunisation status and health check-ups are tracked, and gaps are reviewed at Village Health and Nutrition Day.
Where the exam tries to catch you
The programme's services and targets are tested through confusable pairs. Watch for these traps.
- Trap: Treating severe acute malnutrition at the Anganwadi with routine feeding alone. Correct: Severe acute malnutrition is a referral diagnosis; the worker identifies, counsels and refers, while facility-based therapeutic feeding treats it.
- Trap: Assuming ICDS covers only children under five. Correct: The age band extends to six years, and the beneficiary groups also include pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls.
- Trap: Linking Poshan Abhiyaan's headline targets to vaccination coverage. Correct: The mission's headline indicators are nutritional, while immunisation is one of the six ICDS services.
Frequently asked questions
Which services does ICDS provide to children?
ICDS provides six services: supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check-ups, referral services, pre-school non-formal education, and nutrition and health education. All six are delivered through the Anganwadi Centre, which is the programme's community point of contact.
What is the cut-off for severe acute malnutrition in an Anganwadi weighing?
Severe acute malnutrition in children aged six to 59 months is commonly identified by a mid-upper arm circumference below 115 mm, a weight-for-height below minus three z-scores, or bilateral oedema. Children with severe acute malnutrition identified at an Anganwadi Centre are referred for facility-based treatment.
Which age groups receive take-home ration under ICDS supplementary nutrition?
Under the supplementary nutrition norms, children aged six months to three years usually receive take-home ration, while children aged three to six years receive a hot cooked meal. The norms are revised periodically, so the Ministry circular in force should be checked for current quantities.
When was Poshan Abhiyaan launched and what did it aim to reduce?
Poshan Abhiyaan, the National Nutrition Mission, was launched on 8 March 2018 to reduce stunting, underweight, anaemia and low birth weight through convergence of nutrition programmes. Its agenda continues under Poshan 2.0, which was launched in 2021.