Discuss the evolution of India's nutrition mission from POSHAN Abhiyaan to Mission Poshan 2.0. How does the Rashtriya Poshan Maah operationalise community participation in nutrition governance?

Launched on 8 March 2018 at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, POSHAN Abhiyaan sought to reduce stunting, undernutrition, anaemia and low birth weight through technology, convergence and community involvement [3]. Its restructuring into Mission Poshan 2.0 marks a shift from delivering rations to building a nutrition ecosystem, with the annual Poshan Maah serving as its mass-mobilisation arm.

From POSHAN Abhiyaan to Mission Poshan 2.0: the trajectory

• Umbrella consolidation: the erstwhile Supplementary Nutrition Programme and POSHAN Abhiyaan were merged into Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, one of the WCD Ministry's three umbrella missions [1][3].
• Content shift: focus moved to diet diversity, food fortification, millets, maternal nutrition, IYCF norms and management of MAM/SAM, alongside AYUSH-linked wellness [3].
• Delivery and monitoring shift: the Poshan Tracker digitised last-mile service delivery, with 14,02,248 Anganwadi Centres and over 9.14 crore beneficiaries registered as of September 2025 [5].
• Outcome anchoring: NFHS-5 (2019-21) recorded under-5 stunting falling from 38.4% to 35.5% and underweight from 35.8% to 32.1% — progress that remains uneven [5].
• Widening mandate: the 8th Poshan Maah (2025) added mindful eating and childhood obesity, acknowledging India's double burden of malnutrition [5].

Poshan Maah as an instrument of community participation

• Jan Andolan design: implemented every September through Gram Panchayats, urban local bodies, schools and Anganwadi Centres, converting a scheme into a people's movement [1].
• Institutionalised local accountability: the 9th edition (2026, Varanasi), themed "Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Jimmedari", pushes formation of Anganwadi Management Committees and mandatory SNP Menu Boards under revised SNP Guidelines, enabling citizen scrutiny of meals [2].
• Behavioural convergence: pillars like Men-streaming and Vocal for Local draw households and local food systems into nutrition decisions [5].

Nutrition governance in India has thus evolved from supplementation to a convergent, digitally monitored and community-owned model. Sustaining it requires functional management committees, filled Anganwadi vacancies and quality-focused audits — the surest route to the "Suposhit Bharat by 2047" vision [5] and to SDG-2.