Odisha Steps Up Malnutrition Fight With Sampoorna Pushti Yojana in 18 Districts

31 Aug 2026, 12:32 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has decided to take its fight against malnutrition deeper into communities by rolling out the Mukhyamantri Sampoorna Pushti Yojana through the Odisha Nutrition Mission in 18 districts, with 23,088 Anganwadi centres brought under the programme.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg at Lok Seva Bhawan. The government plans to combine targeted nutrition support with digital tracking, early identification of malnutrition and improvements in Anganwadi infrastructure.

The 18 districts covered by the initiative are Anugola, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Kendujhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Sambalpur and Sundargarh. Nine aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog will also be part of the programme.

Focus on early detection and child nutrition:

A major component of the programme will be the early identification of malnutrition and timely nutritional rehabilitation. The government will strengthen digital and data-based monitoring through the Poshan Tracker, allowing children’s nutritional status to be followed more systematically.

Officials will give particular attention to the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, low birth weight newborns and child nutrition. The programme also aims to bring down severe underweight and stunting among children at the Anganwadi level.

The 23,088 Anganwadi centres covered by the mission include centres under 100 priority ICDS projects in the identified districts, 22,707 centres classified as underperforming on the basis of the Poshan Index, and 159 ‘Gramoday’ Anganwadi centres in Maoist-affected areas.

The initiative will also extend to identified Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Odisha.

The Odisha Nutrition Mission will operate around nine strategic pillars: early detection, support, education, nutrition, nutrition awareness, practical awareness, analysis, evaluation and improvement.

The broader objective is to identify nutritional problems early and ensure that children and other vulnerable groups receive intervention without delay.

The programme will also address micronutrient deficiencies and promote food fortification. Alongside nutritious food, it will include nutrition awareness and greater community participation.

Pregnant and lactating women and adolescents will receive additional nutritional support, while severely malnourished children will be provided special nutritional assistance.

The government has made a financial provision of Rs 360.68 crore for 2026-27 and 2027-28 for the Odisha Nutrition Mission. The funds will support nutritious food, community-based service delivery, performance incentives, awareness activities, monitoring, nutrition surveys, nutrition rehabilitation, food-quality testing and micronutrient-related programmes.

Officials will also strengthen the quality assessment of nutrition programmes. The planned measures include geo-tagged Anganwadi visits, live dashboards, independent evaluation and food-quality testing.

Anganwadi infrastructure gets parallel push:

Nutrition delivery is being linked with improvements to the physical infrastructure of Anganwadi centres.

Under the Samruddha Anganwadi Yojana, the government has directed officials to complete incomplete centres, build new ones wherever necessary and upgrade existing facilities to provide safe and child-friendly spaces. New centres are also to be constructed near public settlements where required, making them easier for children to access.

Although a five-year budget has been provided for 2026-27 to 2030-31, officials have been told to finish incomplete Anganwadi buildings at the earliest. Fencing of the centres will be taken up in the next phase to strengthen safety and security.

The government expects the combination of targeted nutrition interventions, digital tracking and stronger Anganwadi infrastructure to improve nutrition outcomes among children, mothers and adolescents across the identified districts.