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Subject: Hunger

  • Poshan Tracker

    Why in News?

    The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) highlighted the achievements of the Poshan Tracker, India’s real time nutrition monitoring platform under Mission Poshan 2.0.

    What is Poshan Tracker?

    • Mobile based application launched in March 2021.
    • Developed by MoWCD with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD).
    • Digital backbone of POSHAN Abhiyaan.
    • Enables real time monitoring of nutrition, beneficiaries, and Anganwadi services.

    About POSHAN Abhiyaan

    • Launched on 8 March 2018.
    • India’s flagship National Nutrition Mission.
    • In 2021, merged with Anganwadi Services and Scheme for Adolescent Girls under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.

    Key Features

    • Aadhaar based beneficiary authentication.
    • Facial Recognition System (FRS) for service verification.
    • Digital home visit scheduler.
    • Poshan Calculator based on WHO Child Growth Standards.
    • Tracks stunting, wasting, underweight, SAM, MAM, and obesity.
    • Provides ECCE learning content and Poshan Helpline (1515).

    Achievements (May 2026)

    • Covers 28 States and 8 UTs.
    • 8.93 crore beneficiaries registered.
    • 7.7 crore children tracked through Aadhaar authenticated database.
    • 6.3 crore children (0 to 5 years) monitored for growth (about 94% coverage).
    • 5.5 crore beneficiaries received Supplementary Nutrition for at least 15 days.

    Significance

    • Enables evidence based nutrition governance.
    • Reduces leakages and duplicate beneficiaries.
    • Strengthens Anganwadi service delivery.
    • Supports Digital India and Viksit Bharat.

    Prelims Facts

    • POSHAN Abhiyaan: 2018.
    • Poshan Tracker: March 2021.
    • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Women and Child Development.
    • Uses WHO Child Growth Standards.
    • Operates under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.

    [2023] Consider the following statements in the context of interventions being undertaken under Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy:
    1. It provides prophylactic calcium supplementation for pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women.
    2. It runs a campaign for delayed cord clamping at the time of child- birth.
    3. It provides for periodic deworming to children and adolescents.
    4. It addresses non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets with special focus on malaria, hemoglobinopathies and fluorosis.
    How many of the statements given above are correct?

    [A] Only one

    [B] Only two

    [C] Only three

    [D] All four

  • The concept of Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme is almost a century old in India with early beginnings in Madras Presidency in pre-independent India. The scheme has again been given impetus in most states in the last two decades. Critically examine its twin objectives, latest mandates and success.

  • How far do you agree with the view that the focus on lack of availability of food as the main cause of hunger takes the attention away from ineffective human development policies in India?

    Despite being the largest foodgrain producer (73 million tonnes of buffer stock) and running the world’s largest food security programs (NFSA), India ranks 102nd out of 123 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2025.

    Focus on Lack of Availability of Food

    NFSA, 2013: 5 kg subsidized food grains/month to 67% of India’s population.

    PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana: Extended free food grain distribution during and post-COVID.

    ICDS and Mid-Day Meal Scheme: Supply meals to pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children to combat calorie deficiency.

    Persistent Malnutrition: NFHS-5 shows stunting (32.9%), wasting (18.7%), and underweight (32%) children despite extensive food programs.

    High Anemia Levels: 57% of women and 67% of children are anemic – a form of hidden hunger linked to poor micronutrient intake, not lack of food.

    SOFI 2025: 12% of Indians remain undernourished despite record food production.

    Global Hunger Index 2025: score of 25.8 (Serious).

    Ineffective Human Development Policies in India

    Health System Deficiencies: Poor healthcare access, high maternal mortality, inadequate disease prevention, and sanitation deficits worsen malnutrition.

    Education Gaps: Lack of nutrition awareness, hygiene education, and poor child care practices perpetuate undernutrition despite food access.

    Feminization of poverty: Low female labor participation, limited autonomy, and poor maternal nutrition cause intergenerational hunger.

    A large share of the workforce (90%) remains in low-paid informal jobs, restricting food affordability and living standards.

    Limited Funding – Public spending on health (~1.9% of GDP) and education (~2.9% of GDP) remains below global averages, weakening capability-building.

    Income Poverty and Inequality: The poorest 10% spend over 60% of income on food, leaving little for health or education.

    Jobless Growth: Despite 7%+ GDP growth, unemployment among youth remains 17.3% (PLFS 2022-23).

    Steps Taken to Address the Broader Dimensions of Hunger

    Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0: Modernizes ICDS infrastructure and promotes dietary diversity through fortified foods.

    Ayushman Bharat and PM Jan Arogya Yojana: insurance coverage to 50Cr population

    Swachh Bharat Mission & Jal Jeevan Mission: Improve sanitation and safe water, reducing nutrient loss due to infections.

    MGNREGA, NRLM, and PM-KISAN: Provide livelihood and income support to improve household food affordability.

    Women Empowerment Initiatives: Mobilizing over 1 crore women into 9.96 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under NULM

    Millets Promotion under “Shree Anna” – Integration of nutri-cereals (e.g. ragi, bajra, jowar) into PDS, ICDS and PM POSHAN

    Way Forward

    Promote diet diversity (millets, pulses, vegetables) through PDS reform.

    Increase public investment in health (2.5%) and education (6%) to strengthen human capital.

    Adopt data-driven local interventions under Aspirational Districts Programme to target high-burden regions.

    Adopt Brazil’s Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer scheme

    Scale State level best practices like TN’s inclusion of Eggs in MDM

    India’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ demands inclusive nutrition as the foundation for sustainable human development.

  • There is a growing divergence in the relationship between poverty and hunger in India. The shrinking of social expenditure by the government is forcing the poor to spend more on Non- Food essential items squeezing their food – budget.- Elucidate.

    While extreme poverty fell to 2.35% (World Bank, 2024), undernourishment (12%) and child wasting (18.7%) persist (SOFI 2025).

    Growing Divergence between Poverty and Hunger

    Decline in Monetary Poverty: About 24.82 crore individuals escaped multidimensional poverty in the last 9 years. (NITI Aayog)

    Persistence of Hunger and Malnutrition:

    Despite surplus food production, India’s GHI score (25.8) remains in the “serious” category.

    Indicators such as stunting (32.9%), wasting (18.7%), and anemia (57% women) reveal continued deprivation.

    Shift from Absolute Hunger to Hidden Hunger: 57% of women and 67% of children are anemic

    Shrinking of Social Expenditure by the Government

    Education expenditure: ~2.9% of GDP (NEP recommendation 2020).

    Decline in allocation for MGNREGA

    Impact on Poor Households:

    Health: Out-of-pocket health spending forms 40% of total health expenditure (NHA 2023).

    Indian Middle class is 1 Hospital Bill Away from poverty

    Education: Rising private tuition and school costs strain household budgets.

    Learning poverty – Over 70% of Class 3 students cannot read age-appropriate texts (ASER 2025)

    Utilities and fuel: Increasing electricity, rent, and LPG costs raise non-food spending.

    Proliferation of slums – 17% urban population living in slums

    Way Forward

    Social Determinants Approach: Integration of hunger and poverty with nutrition, sanitation (Swachh Bharat), and clean energy (Ujjwala Yojana).

    Nutrition-Sensitive Policies: Diversify PDS with millets, pulses, fortified foods, and region-specific nutrition interventions.

    Adopt data-driven local interventions under Aspirational Districts Programme to target high-burden regions.

    Adopt Brazil’s Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer scheme

    Scale State level best practices like TN’s inclusion of Eggs in MDM

    This can help achieve SDG 1, 2 and realise Atmanirbhar Bharat.