Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyaan: Advancing a Healthier India
Author: Poshan Ghar Secretariat
The Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyaan promotes action-driven strategies to improve health and nutrition outcomes nationwide. It highlights a structured incentive system, robust assessment frameworks, and cross-sectoral collaboration to achieve measurable results. The Abhiyaan places Jan Bhagidari at its core, inviting NGOs, CSOs, private companies, and individuals to drive grassroots action. This op-ed by the Poshan Ghar Secretariat decodes the Abhiyaan guidelines. It serves as a reference document for grassroots implementation.
Nutrition drives human development, poverty alleviation, and economic growth, delivering high returns. Improving health and nutrition outcomes in India demands collaborative efforts. Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 underscore the importance of Jan Bhagidari (community participation) in addressing this critical challenge.
The Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyaan embodies this spirit of collective action. It aims to improve the nutritional outcomes and wellbeing of the target population in convergence with multiple stakeholders and active community participation at the grassroots level.
Introduction to the Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyaan
The initiative was launched in December 2024. Its objective is to incentivise Anganwadis in Gram Panchayats (GPs) to achieve benchmarks in infrastructure, service delivery, and nutritional outcomes. The top 1,000 performing GPs will receive a reward of INR 1,00,000 each. Additionally, the three districts with the highest number of Suposhit GPs will gain recognition.
This initiative transcends mere accolades, acting as a catalyst for sustainable practices, innovative approaches, and measurable progress in combating malnutrition. It fosters accountability and competition, promoting improvements in health and nutrition indicators. The initiative also supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 2 & 3 (SDG 2 - end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and SDG 3 - ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages) at local level.
Implementation and Incentive Structure
The program allocates an annual budget of Rs. 10 crore as part of the centrally sponsored POSHAN Abhiyaan scheme. It incentivises the top 1,000 qualifying Panchayats by providing Rs. 1 lakh per GP. The funds are suggested to be distributed as follows: 25% is allocated to Anganwadi workers and helpers, another 25% is directed to GPs for community mobilisation and increasing beneficiary enrollment in Anganwadi Centers (AWCs), and the remaining 50% supports nutrition-related activities, including the development of Poshan Vatikas (nutri-gardens) and the enhancement of supplementary nutrition programs. All of this will create a ripple effect that will strengthen the health system.
Assessment Framework and Indicators
Key implementation steps include GP nominations from December to February, third-party evaluations, peer reviews, field visits, and beneficiary feedback, ensuring transparency and accountability. A dedicated portal for the initiative will be accessible through the Poshan Tracker dashboard.
One of the most critical aspects of the Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyaan is its rigorous assessment framework. GPs are evaluated based on a variety of indicators, which are grouped into four broad categories, explained below.
The first key indicator, Maternal and Child Healthcare, assesses improvements in children under five with Severe Acute Malnutrition, reductions in severe stunting, and severely underweight under three years of age.
The second indicator, Saturation of Services, measures the percentage of pregnant women and lactating mothers receiving regular supplementary nutrition, along with children aged six months to six years benefiting from these services.
The third indicator, Infrastructure, examines the functional status of Anganwadi Centres. GPs are evaluated based on essential facilities, including toilets, drinking water, and electricity.
The final indicator, Dietary Diversity, emphasises the provision of nutritious and varied meals in Take Home Rations and Hot Cooked Meals with the inclusion of local foods, ensures millet consumption at least once a week, and maintains high standards of hygiene, quality, and nutrition. GPs must sustain dietary diversity for at least 21 days each month to meet this requirement.
Each GP will be evaluated based on specific marking criteria, with 100 points allocated per GP.
Ranking and Reporting Results
Following the GP assessments, the GPs will be ranked based on the set indicators, with priority given to child health indicators to reward those GPs achieving the highest improvements in child nutrition. In case of a tie, the ranking will consider progress in service saturation indicators to ensure the most comprehensive efforts are recognised.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development will publish the results on its website every September or October of the year. This public acknowledgment motivates GPs to sustain their efforts while fostering a competitive environment that drives continuous improvement.
Pioneering Convergence for Collective Impact
To ensure the effective implementation of this initiative, various ministries are to actively contribute through coordination at different levels. Nodal officers from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) will conduct field visits to verify data during the peer review process. Land for Poshan Vatikas will be identified by MoPR and untied funds will be utilised for activities related to nutrition. The MoJS will facilitate the establishment of drinking water and WASH facilities at AWCs. The MoHFW will support the implementation of community-based management of acute malnutrition, village health, sanitation, and nutrition days (VHSND), as well as conducting regular health check-ups at AWCs. Furthermore, MoHFW will strengthen effective coordination between health field workers, including ASHAs, auxiliary nurse midwives, and anganwadi workers, to improve the management of health and nutrition needs among anganwadi beneficiaries.
Enabling Participation and Engagement
The Abhiyaan places Jan Bhagidari at its core, inviting NGOs, CSOs, private companies, and individuals to drive grassroots action. These stakeholders can play an active role in supporting GPs within their catchment areas by ensuring accurate data entry on the Poshan Tracker, improving anganwadi operations, mobilising communities, platforms, groups and influencers, and in addressing infrastructure gaps. The 2025 GP nominations have closed. However, organisations can prepare for the 2026 GP nomination cycle by fostering stakeholder engagement and promoting convergence to ensure robust participation. Further, NGOs can support the shortlisted GPs in various ways as explained below.
Support from Civil Society Organisations
We encourage Poshan Ghar members to share your ideas and action plans on how you will action this initiative with your stakeholders to implement it on the ground. Some of the key actions may include -
Supporting community-based events.
Collaborating with field-level workers, beneficiaries, and communities to mobilise participation in VHSNDs, annaprashan, and godbharai diwas.
Mobilising parents and caregivers in growth monitoring and promotion sessions to identify health and nutrition challenges.
Conducting community engagement activities with SHGs, mothers’ groups, and community influencers to generate demand and promote health and nutrition-seeking behaviours.
Acting as an interface between field-level workers and block-level panchayat authorities to secure funds for infrastructural development.
Conducting sensitisation meeting of relevant stakeholders at the GP, block, and district levels and popularising the abhiyaan guidelines amongst them.
Strengthening anganwadi workers’ capacities in growth monitoring, maternal and child health counselling, and data management on the Poshan Tracker.
Supporting CDPOs and panchayat stakeholders in self-assessing GPs and developing action plans for the next nomination cycle.
Support from Poshan Ghar Secretariat
To advance this initiative, the Secretariat has also planned a range of activities to support its members in applying the guidelines within their respective geographies.
The Secretariat will organise multiple orientation sessions to decode the guidelines to enhance its accessibility and understanding. Members will also receive simplified versions of the guidelines, equipping them to engage effectively with CDPOs, DPOs, PRIs, and state officials to ensure grassroots-level implementation. Key messages of the guidelines will be highlighted through social media which the members can use as tools and resources to trigger community discussions.
As part of knowledge mangement, the Secretariat will document and share best practices of its members who have successfully implemented the guidelines. Case studies from the field will be disseminated and amplified via digital and social media channels, so stay connected with Poshan Ghar.
To get specific support from the Secretariat and to share your action plans with us, please get in touch with arpita.d@zealgrit.com.
The Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyaan marks a significant step in India’s fight against malnutrition. By integrating ministerial collaboration with grassroots participation, the initiative fosters accountability, collective responsibility, and sustainable long-term change.
For further details on the mandate of the Suposhit Gram Panchayat, you can refer to the official document here.
Have stories, insights, or case studies on health, nutrition, WASH, child protection, or social behaviour change? We would love to hear from you. Reach out at arpita.d@zealgrit.com.
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