With the state government prioritizing 18 districts and establishing 23,088 Anganwadi centers under the Odisha Poshan Mission (OPM), Odisha has stepped up its efforts to combat malnutrition. In order to enhance the nutritional status of women and children, the government has also placed a strong focus on digital monitoring, early identification of malnutrition, and building Anganwadi infrastructure. Chief Secretary Anu Garg chaired a high-level meeting on the OPM’s implementation and strategy on Saturday at Lok Seva Bhawan.
The Chief Secretary instructed staff to improve service delivery through digital monitoring and emphasized the necessity of a mission-mode approach to eradicate malnutrition in the state. She also emphasized finishing up unfinished Anganwadi structures under the “Samruddha Anganwadi Yojana,” creating new centers where necessary, and enhancing current infrastructure to create kid-friendly and secure areas. The meeting was attended by State Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary of the Finance Department Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department Dr. Mrinalini Darswal, Director Monisha Banerjee, and senior officials from several departments.
Officials spoke about using the Odisha Poshan Mission as a mission-mode mechanism for the “Mukhyamantri Sampoorna Pushti Yojana,” especially in districts that were found to have a high rate of malnutrition. 23,088 Anganwadi centers have been covered as part of the project. These include 159 “Gramoday” Anganwadi centers situated in Maoist-affected regions, 22,707 Anganwadi centers recognized as underperforming based on the Poshan Index, and centers under 100 priority ICDS initiatives in the designated districts.
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the state will also be included in the program. Angul, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Sambalpur, and Sundargarh are the eighteen districts designated under the Poshan scheme. The initiative would also involve nine aspirational districts that NITI Aayog recognized.
The mission will focus on nine strategic pillars — early detection, support, education, nutrition, nutrition awareness, practical awareness, analysis, evaluation and improvement — with the objective of detecting malnutrition early and ensuring timely intervention. Digital and data-driven monitoring of children’s nutritional status will be strengthened through the Nutrition Tracker. Special focus will be placed on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, low birth weight and child nutrition.