The guidelines promote the seeding of beneficiaries’ Aadhaar to ensure last mile tracking. (File)
New Delhi:
The Anganwadi Services scheme is open to all eligible beneficiaries and the only condition is that the beneficiary must be registered in the nearest Anganwadi center with Aadhaar identification, as per the new guidelines of the ‘Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2’ Policy .
However, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has clarified that a child’s Aadhaar card is not required to avail benefits under the Anganwadi Services Scheme and that this card can be accessed with the mother’s Aadhaar card.
“The Anganwadi Services Scheme is open to all eligible beneficiaries on application regardless of caste, religion and income criteria. The only condition is that the beneficiary must be registered at the nearest Anganwadi Center with Aadhaar identification,” it said.
Under the “Adolescent Girls Scheme,” beneficiaries require Aadhaar numbers to take advantage of benefits, the guidelines say.
“The beneficiaries of the scheme are adolescent girls in the age group of 14-18 who will be identified by the concerned states. All beneficiaries will need an Aadhaar number to take advantage of the benefits of the scheme,” it said.
Under ‘Poshan 2.0′, the adolescent girls’ scheme has been revised, and the targeted beneficiaries are now girls aged 14 to 18 in ambitious districts of states, including Assam and the northeastern states, rather than out-of-school girls in the age group. from 11-14 years earlier.
The government released new guidelines on Tuesday for the ‘Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2’ policy aimed at interventions to tackle problems of malnutrition.
The guidelines also promote the seeding of Aadhaar from beneficiaries under the scheme to ensure home rations are followed on the last mile and the migration of pregnant women and nursing mothers is monitored.
According to the guidelines, Ayush systems will be integrated under Poshan 2.0 for wellness and nutrition.
Ayush will carry out ‘Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family’ and AWCs and households campaigns to encourage beneficiaries to practice yoga and stay healthy.
According to the guidelines, the Ministry of Ayush will provide technical support for the implementation of the scheme, recommend simple Ayurveda interventions to improve digestion, populate ‘Poshan Vatikas’ (nutrition gardens) with medicinal plants and saplings, technical assistance, etc., recommend local recipes incorporating locally grown vegetables and food substances, red rice, various millets.
Also, seven lakh Ayush registered practitioners will meet with states/UTs to get maximum benefits from Poshan Vatikas by formulating regional meal plans etc.
The guidelines also state that growth monitoring is essential for all children.
“Efforts will be made to measure the children 100 percent. Any child who could not be measured in any given month must be mandatorily measured in the following month,” it said.
According to the guidelines, only cane sugar should be used for sweeteners and “white sugar should not be used in the meals” provided to beneficiaries.
“Use of cane sugar, enrichment with native plants such as moreng (sahjan/drumstick) and ingredients that provide higher energy intake in smaller amounts of food to promote,” it said.
The guidelines also state that “Take-Home Ration” (no raw ration) and “Hot Cooked Meals” (HCM) foods are state specific and must contain locally grown or available healthy fruits and vegetables.
Food ingredients used in complementary foods include grains, legumes, millet (coarse grains), nuts and some fat to increase energy content. Millets are required to be delivered at least once a week and appropriately integrated into THR and HCM in a palatable form, it said.
The guidelines further state that social audits should be conducted by stakeholders such as the poshan panchayats, mother groups and the village health and nutrition health committees.
“Instant feedback will also be obtained from those who have used Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0,” it said.
The evaluation of the scheme will be carried out by a third party known for being nominated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, it added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
