Growth measurement crucial for kids at anganwadi centres: Centre

The Centre asked states and Union territories that growth measurement is essential for all children at anganwadi centres to obtain their status as normal', underweight', severe acute malnourishment', moderate acute malnourishment', stunted' and wasted'.

In a letter to chief secretaries of all states/UTs, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said the measurement should be done for at least 80 per cent of the children in 0-6 age group every month.

"Any child who is not measured in a particular month has to be compulsorily measured next month," it said.

The ministry also asked the states/UTs for implementing incentive guidelines for Anganwadi workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi helpers (AWHs) under POSHAN Abhiyaan to promote regular growth monitoring of children, sustain the use of 'Poshan Tracker' and focus on service delivery during the first 1,000 days of the child.

"The growth measurement -- length/height and weight -- is essential for all children to obtain their status as Normal, Underweight, SAM, MAM, Stunted and Wasted," the ministry said.

The revised guidelines, which come into enforcement from November 1, also underline completing at least 60 per cent of home visits to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children up to two years of age, as per the home visit scheduler.

The ministry stressed that these criteria are the basic minimum milestones linked to essential services for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under two years of age that are expected to be delivered by AWWs.

"The achievement of these criteria will be determined through the Poshan Tracker application," it said.

The application was launched last year to strengthen and bring transparency in nutrition delivery services. It was developed as a governance tool for real-time monitoring of nutritional outcomes.

In the revised guidelines, the Centre also said that the report listing all AWWs and AWHs which have met the incentive criteria will be auto-generated through Poshan Tracker at the end of every month.

"The ICDS supervisor/CDPO will authorise payment to the listed AWWs and AWHs by sending the signed report to the appropriate authority to release payments (as per state systems). The payment will be made through Direct Beneficiary Transfer (DBT), preferably by 15th of the next month," it said.

The revised guidelines also stressed on opening Anganwadi centres (AWCs) for at least 21 days in a month.

On the amount of incentive, the ministry said if AWW achieves the above performance criteria, they will receive Rs 500.

"Similarly, if AWH achieves the laid-out performance criteria, she will receive Rs 250," it added.