Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 19 (ANI): The Gujarat government has decided to constitute women-led Anganwadi Management Committees (AMCs) at every Anganwadi Centre in the state to strengthen the implementation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 at the grassroots level.
The initiative, taken under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and under the guidance of Women and Child Development Minister Manisha Vakil, aims to increase community participation in Anganwadi services and strengthen the quality, transparency and accountability of nutrition, health and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) services.
The primary focus of the committees will be to help reduce malnutrition and developmental delays among children aged 0 to 6 years and support their holistic development.
Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is a Centrally Sponsored Mission under which States and Union Territories are responsible for implementing various activities. The mission covers children below six years of age, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls in specified regions, and provides services including supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, nutrition and health education, immunisation, health check-ups and referral services.
Under the Gujarat government's decision, an AMC will be constituted for every Anganwadi Centre by the concerned Child Development Project Officer (CDPO).
All members of the committee will be women. The woman supervisor will serve as the Chairperson, while the Anganwadi worker will be the Member-Secretary.
The committee will also include one ASHA worker, two mothers of children aged 3 to 6 years enrolled at the centre, one woman member from a local Self-Help Group (SHG) or NGO/CSO, and one woman teacher from the nearest government primary school.
The arrangement is intended to strengthen coordination between health, education and local self-government institutions while increasing transparency, accountability and responsibility in the delivery of Anganwadi services.
The primary responsibility of the AMC will be to support the reduction of malnutrition and developmental delays among children aged 0 to 6 years.
The committees will assist Anganwadi workers in improving service delivery and create awareness among parents and caregivers about proper childcare and nutrition.
They will also encourage timely use of health services and promote better nutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers.
The committees will work towards strengthening coordination among health, education and local institutions and ensuring that issues affecting beneficiaries are identified and addressed at the local level.
Each AMC will meet once every two months at the concerned Anganwadi Centre to review its functioning and the timely and quality delivery of services.
The committee will work with the local community and institutions to create a safe and child-friendly environment and ensure that the centre has the resources required for learning and development.
It will review basic facilities at the Anganwadi Centre, including the building, drinking water, toilets, kitchen, storage facilities, furniture, equipment and Teaching Learning Material (TLM).
The committee will also review food quality, hygiene and other basic requirements. Local issues will be addressed as far as possible, while major issues will be referred to the Programme Officer and the CDPO.
The AMCs will monitor nutrition services being delivered under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.
This will include reviewing the distribution of supplementary nutrition, food quality, hygiene, freshness and compliance with prescribed nutritional standards.
The committees will monitor services such as Take-Home Ration (THR), Hot Cooked Meals (HCM) and other nutrition-related interventions.
They will also monitor the growth of children aged 0 to 6 years, developmental milestones of children aged 0 to 3 years, health check-ups, identification of malnourished children, referrals and follow-up of referred cases.
The Union government has also been using the Poshan Tracker as an ICT-based governance tool for real-time monitoring of Anganwadi Centres, workers and beneficiaries, including attendance, ECCE activities, growth monitoring, Hot Cooked Meals and Take-Home Ration.
The initiative gives specific importance to Early Childhood Care and Education so that Anganwadi Centres function not only as nutrition centres but also as spaces supporting children's early learning and development.
The AMC will review and support daily pre-primary education activities in accordance with 'Aadharshila'.
It will also monitor whether curriculum-based activities and Children’s Day theme-based activities are being conducted regularly and whether records relating to children's overall development and monthly activities are maintained properly.
The focus on ECCE is also part of the broader Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 framework. In July 2026, the Union government said two lakh Anganwadi Centres had been approved for upgradation as Saksham Anganwadis to provide improved nutrition and ECCE activities.
The committees will also work to ensure that no eligible beneficiary is excluded from Anganwadi services.
They will help identify pregnant women, lactating mothers and children aged 0 to 6 years through household surveys and community mapping.
The AMC will monitor the identification, registration and attendance of beneficiaries and ensure inclusive services for children with special needs.
Updating beneficiary details on the Poshan Tracker and regularly reviewing service coverage will further strengthen data-based monitoring of Anganwadi services.
The Gujarat government will also encourage parents, volunteers, private organisations, corporate entities, NGOs, CSOs and other community groups to contribute their time, skills and resources towards strengthening Anganwadi Centres.
Community support in the form of toys, clothes, activity materials and educational resources will also be encouraged.
Efforts will be made to establish and maintain Poshan Vatika, or Nutri-Gardens, with the support of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies.
The initiative is aimed at promoting nutrition awareness, local participation and access to wholesome local produce. Poshan Vatikas are also part of the broader Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 approach to promote diet diversity and local nutrition resources.
The government has also prescribed a mechanism for ensuring accountability in the functioning of the AMCs.
At least four of the seven members, including the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, must be present for an AMC meeting.
Decisions will be taken through consensus wherever possible and by majority where required.
Proceedings of every meeting, including the date, members present, key discussions, decisions and follow-up status, will be recorded in the prescribed format.
The proceedings will have to be submitted to the concerned CDPO within seven days.
The CDPO will review the functioning of each committee at least twice a year.
The formation of AMCs is aimed at strengthening community participation in Anganwadi services in line with the objectives of Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.
While the government will continue to provide nutrition, health and ECCE services, the committees will bring mothers, ASHA workers, teachers, SHGs and other community representatives into the monitoring and improvement of these services.
The committees will regularly review nutrition, children's growth and development, early education, hygiene, infrastructure, beneficiary coverage, grievance redressal and community participation.
The Gujarat government said the initiative would make the state's Anganwadi system more participatory, accountable and child-focused, with government services being supplemented by active community participation to strengthen children's nutrition, healthy development and early education. (ANI)
Gujarat to form women-led Anganwadi committees at every centre under Mission Saksham
