Poshan Maah 2026: Rajasthan Ranks 2nd, Jodhpur Tops State

Jaipur, October 21. Rajasthan has made a strong showing at the national level in the fight against malnutrition. Based on its work during National Poshan Maah – September 2026, the state secured second place across India. In line with directions from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, the 9th National Poshan Maah was held in Rajasthan from September 9 to October 8.

Over that month, Anganwadi centres across the state ran intensive programmes covering nutrition awareness, Annaprashan, Godbharai, identification and management of malnourished children, nutrition gardens (Poshan Vatika) and healthy child competitions. As a result, Rajasthan achieved 113.66% against its set target.

Western Rajasthan Districts Dominate

Districts from western and northern Rajasthan led the rankings. The state’s top five performers were:

1. Jodhpur – 148.22% (First)
2. Bikaner – 133.70% (Second)
3. Pali – 132.01% (Third)
4. Churu – 128.85% (Fourth)
5. Sri Ganganagar – 127.21% (Fifth)

The department described the efforts of the DDs, CDPOs, LSs, District Coordinators (DC), District Project Assistants (DPA), Block Coordinators (BC) and Anganwadi workers in these districts as an example for the entire state.

“The Result of Our Field Sisters’ Hard Work”

Deputy Chief Minister and Women and Child Development Minister Diya Kumari congratulated the NNM team, departmental officials, district and block coordinators, and the Anganwadi workers and helpers who played the most important role. She said the achievement reflects the round-the-clock hard work, dedication and commitment of the department’s sisters in the field. She reiterated that the state government is fully committed to the goal of ‘Kuposhan Mukt Rajasthan, Swasth Rajasthan’ (Malnutrition-free Rajasthan, Healthy Rajasthan).

Department Secretary Poonam thanked all the teams and said that, with the same energy, the department will work towards securing first place in the future.

The Theme and Five Focus Areas

According to ICDS Director Vasudev Malawat, this year’s theme, “Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Zimmedari,” aimed to strengthen Anganwadi centres as hubs for nutrition, care and early childhood development, while building a sense of ownership within communities. Special activities were held on five key themes:

• Dietary diversity and adequate protein
• Freshly cooked hot meals (HCM) at Anganwadi centres
• Community ownership and accountability
• Nutrition and early stimulation for childhood development
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

All activities were conducted in coordination with the Health, Education, and Panchayati Raj and Rural Development departments, with daily progress uploaded to the Jan Andolan Dashboard.

Delivering nutrition services across India’s largest state by area, including remote dhanis and desert regions, has always been a challenge. Districts such as Jodhpur, Bikaner, Pali, Churu and Sri Ganganagar going well past their targets suggests the ground-level network has grown stronger. Coordination across multiple departments and daily dashboard reporting also indicate the campaign went beyond a box-ticking exercise.