CHANDIGARH: In a landmark reform aimed at improving the health and nutrition outcomes of children, pregnant and lactating women, the Department of Social Security and Women & Child Development (WCD), Government of Punjab, has undertaken a complete overhaul of the supplementary nutrition being served through 27,000 Anganwadi Centres.
Community Oversight: For the first time in the country, it will be mandatory for direct beneficiaries, along with Anganwadi Workers and mothers of children enrolled at Anganwadi Centres, to be part of the Management Committees of these Units.
This unprecedented step hands communities direct oversight of what is being manufactured and supplied to their own children, while also creating local employment in every district.
Rigorous Testing Before Rollout
True to its commitment to quality, the Government has ensured that every recipe, along with ingredients submitted by bidders for the Take Home Ration tender, has been tested in laboratories and, for the first time ever, subjected to real taste-testing sessions with children at Anganwadi Centres, so that only recipes children actually enjoy make it to final approval.
On this, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur states MD, “With these reforms, Punjab has positioned itself as a national leader in Anganwadi nutrition reform, prioritising freshness, accountability, and community participation over convenience. Bhagwant Mann Government remains committed to ensuring that every child, pregnant and lactating mother reached through the Anganwadi network receives food that is not just adequate, but genuinely nutritious, safe, and trusted by the very communities it serves.”
