A Healthier India: Making the POSHAN Abhiyaan a Jan Andolan

Abstract

India’s growing identification as a super economic power is in stark contrast to her severe levels of malnutrition. Although the government has introduced several schemes through the years to fight and control malnutrition, the schemes have failed to realise their objectives. The Government of India has now launched the National Nutrition Mission or POSHAN Abhiyaan---one of the most ambitious schemes till date. While the article critically analyses the gaps in the implementation of the earlier schemes, it provides an overview of the POSHAN Abhiyaan and argues that among the four pillars identified for its success, the Jan Andolan or mass movement is crucial for its success. The article further proposes a conceptual model for strengthening the Jan Andolan.