31-Mar-2023: Poshan Vatikas or Nutri-gardens- a key plank of the Poshan Abhiyaan to enable the right kind of nourishment

POSHAN Abhiyaan (erstwhile National Nutrition Mission) was launched in March 2018 to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner and to achieve reduction in stunting and wasting in children (0-6 years) as well as reduction in anemia in women, children and adolescent girls. The Abhiyaan has been rolled out in all the 36 States/UTs. A key plank of the Abhiyaan to enable the right kind of nourishment are the Poshan Vatikas or Nutri-gardens that are being set up across the country to provide easy and affordable access to fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants and herbs. To encourage diet-diversity and consumption of wholesome local produce, around 4 lakhs Poshan Vatikas have been developed at AWCs. 1.10 lakh medicinal plants were planted in 21 districts in 6 States of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and Mizoram during Poshan Pakhwada 2021.

During Poshan Maah 2022, activities for setting-up nutri-gardens or retro-fitting Poshan Vatikas with backyard poultry / fishery units was carried out across the country. More than 1.5 lakh events on retrofitting Poshan Vatikas with backyard poultry and fishery units have been reported. Also, more than 75 thousand sensitization camps have been conducted to promote millets and backyard kitchen gardens.

Through Poshan Vatikas, aim is to provide a fresh and regular supply of locally produced fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants to women and children straight from a nutri-garden at or near an Anganwadi Centre. Poshan Vatikas can play an important role in enhancing dietary diversity by providing key micronutrients through local fruits and vegetables. Poshan Vatikas are a good example of convergent action on-ground. Beyond the reward of locally available wholesome produce, it will reduce external dependency and make communities Atmanirbhar for their nutritional security.

As per Scheme Guidelines for Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0), indicative salient features of Poshan Vatikas recommend plants/herbs/trees that may be cultivated:

1. Green vegetables)- Spinach (palak), Methi, Amaranthus Spr. (Choulai), Asparagus (Shatawari), Bacopamonnieri (Brahmi), Boerhavia (punarnava), Chenopodium (Bathua), Dioscorea (Ratalu)
2. Medicinal Plants/ Fruit Trees (5-6 tress): Moringa (Sahajan), Papita, Karhipatta, Lemon (Nimbu), Amla, Punica (Anar) etc
3. Boundary crops- Shatavari, Lemon grass, Giloy etc.

Launched on 8th March, 2018, by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to improve nutritional outcomes for children, adolescents, pregnant women & lactating mothers. The Abhiyaan is a key component of Mission Poshan 2.0 which seeks to address the challenges of malnutrition in children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers through a strategic shift in nutrition content and delivery and by creation of a convergent eco-system to develop and promote practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity.

Mission Poshan 2.0 is designed to address the issue of malnutrition through transparency, accountability, balanced diets, diet diversity and quality, greater grassroots involvement and last-mile delivery of services supported by key strategies, viz., corrective strategies to address nutrition related deficiencies, nutrition awareness strategies to develop good eating habits for sustainable health and well-being, strategies for communication and development of green eco-systems such as Poshan Vatikas at or near Anganwadi Centres, wherever possible and in Government led schools and Gram Panchayat lands where benefits can easily be given to women and children. Under Poshan 2.0, focus is on diet diversity, food fortification, leveraging traditional systems of knowledge and popularizing use of millets. Nutrition awareness strategies under Poshan 2.0 aim to develop sustainable health and well-being through regional meal plans to bridge dietary gaps.. Further, greater emphasis is being given on the use of millets for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal and Take Home rations (not raw ration) at Anganwadi centres for Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Children below 6 years of age, as millets have high nutrient content which includes protein, essential fatty acid, dietary fibre, B-Vitamins, minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, folic acid and other micro-nutrients thus helping to tackle anemia and other micro-nutrient deficiencies common among women and children. Further, under Mission Poshan 2.0, only fortified rice is being allocated to States/UTs.

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22-Dec-2022: Around 40,000 women trained all over India under Nai Roshni Scheme

The Minister of Minority Affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today informed that during the last three years, i.e., 2019-20 to 2021-22, around 40,000 women have been trained all over India including 175 in Bihar. The community-wise breakup of trained women for the last three years in the State of  Bihar is as under : Muslims -175, Christians -0 Sikhs -0 Buddhist -0, Jains -0 and Non Minority -0.

The agencies approved by the Ministry select the women belonging to all minorities notified under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 viz, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Zoroastrian (Parsis) and Jain. Beneficiaries having annual income, not exceeding Rs.2.50 lakh from all sources, are given preference in selection for training under the scheme. The agencies also take the assistance of the head of Gram Panchayat / Municipal Body / Local Authority for identification / selection of women trainees.

training centres are set up by the Ministry under this scheme. The selected agencies are required to implement the projects directly through their organizational set-up in the locality/ village/ area in which training is conducted. In the State of Bihar, the agencies have implemented the scheme in Bhojpur district during the last three years. The eligibility criteria for selection of organization/agency under the said scheme is available on <http://nairoshni-moma.gov.in.>

Nai Roshni scheme has now been merged as a component of Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme w.e.f FY 2022-23, aiming to improve livelihoods of minorities, particularly artisan communities, through skill development, education and leadership training, to support their entrepreneurship interventions.

7-Dec-2022: Nai Roshni Scheme

Nai Roshni scheme aims to empower and enhance confidence among minority women by generating awareness about women rights and interventions for ‘Leadership Development’. It is a six-day non-residential/five-day residential training programme conducted for women belonging to minority community between the age group of 18 years to 65 years. The training modules cover areas related to programmes for women such as Health and Hygiene, Legal Rights of Women, Financial Literacy, Digital Literacy, Swachch Bharat, Life Skills, and Advocacy for Social and Behavioural changes. The scheme was implemented through Programme Implementing Agencies (PIAs). Now, the scheme has been merged with PM VIKAS as a component. Since inception, about 4.35 lakh beneficiaries have been trained under the ‘Nai Roshni’ scheme.

No training centres are set up by the Ministry under this scheme. The selected PIAs are required to implement the project directly through their organizational set-up in the locality/ village/ area in which training is conducted.

5-Feb-2021: The overall objective of the “Nai Roshni” scheme is to embolden the minority women to move out of the confines of their homes and community and assume leadership roles in society

“Nai Roshni”, a scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women is being implemented across India with an aim to empower and instill confidence in women by providing knowledge, tools and techniques for interacting with Government systems, banks and other institutions at all levels. This includes empowerment of the trainee women so that they become independent and confident members of the society. The overall objective of the scheme is to embolden the minority women to move out of the confines of their homes and community and assume leadership roles in society. The scheme provides for six days training programme followed by handholding for a period of one year. The training is provided on various pre-designed Training modules covering issues relating to women viz. Leadership of Women through participation in decision making, Educational Programmes for women, Health and Hygiene, Legal rights of women, Financial Literacy, Digital Literacy, Swachh Bharat, Life Skills, and Advocacy for Social and Behavioural change.

The Scheme is being implemented through Non-Governmental Organisations empanelled under the Nai Roshni Scheme as per scheme guidelines in force.

While Nai Roshni scheme targets women beneficiaries specifically, other schemes of the Ministry also lay lot of emphasis on minority women. In Seekho Aur Kamao (Learn & Earn) Scheme, 33% of the total beneficiaries are women. Similarly in Nai Manzil scheme , 30% of the total beneficiaries are women. These schemes help in economic empowerment of the Minority women.

25-Jul-2017: Evaluation of efficacy of Nai Roshni Scheme

NITI Aayog has conducted an evaluation study on ‘Nai Roshni’- the scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women in 2015-16 and prepared a report in June, 2016. The main objective of the study was to assess the impact of the scheme on minority women and to identify policy/ programme impediments in implementation of the scheme. The study covered 15 Districts, 30 Blocks, 87 Villages and 27 NGOs spread over 8 (eight) states namely Assam, West Bengal, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

According to NITI Aayog, majority of the findings of the study indicate that the programme has been appreciated by most of the segments of the population of the society and it has assisted in creating confidence among minority women and developing leadership spirit in them. Moreover, the trained women are also utilizing their enriched knowledge within their surroundings and thereby helping their families as well as neighbours in raising their essential demands and claims from various Government authorities.

14-Dec-2016: Evaluation study on Nai Roshni Scheme

NITI Aayog has conducted an evaluation study on Nai Roshni, the scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women, in 2015-16 and prepared a report in June, 2016. The main objective of the study was to assess the impact of the scheme on minority women and to identify policy/ programme impediments in implementation of the scheme. The study covered 15 Districts, 30 Blocks, 87 Villages and 27 NGOs spread over 8 (eight) states namely Assam, West Bengal, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. According to NITI Aayog, “Despite a few bottlenecks in the implementation of the scheme, majority of the findings of the study indicate that the programme has been appreciated by most of the segments of the population of the society and it has assisted in creating confidence among minority women and developing leadership spirit in them. Moreover, the trained women are also utilizing their enriched knowledge within their surroundings and thereby helping their families as well as neighbours in raising their essential demands and claims from various Government authorities.”

Salient recommendations include relaxation in experience criterion or any other qualifying criterion; selecting women trainees who are less qualified and aware; revision in financial norms; taking up more awareness programme about the scheme; inclusion of women from general category in training programme; increasing number of days of training; developing training modules on laws protecting interest of women; and including provision for Persons with Disabilities in the training modules.

As per existing scheme guidelines, minority women from deprived sections including less qualified are covered. Moreover, guidelines also permit coverage of 25% non- minority women in a project. As regards awareness about scheme, an audio and a video spot on Nai Roshni scheme are already being broadcast/telecast regularly on All India Radio Network and Doordarshan Network respectively all over India including North Eastern States. A training module on Legal Rights of women is already covered. Further, the modifications in the scheme provisions are done as per laid down procedure at the time of review of the scheme.