NITI Aayog–UNICEF Partnership to Improve Maternal and Child Nutrition in Aspirational Districts

NITI Aayog and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) India have signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) to collaborate on improving maternal and child nutrition outcomes.

About the NITI Aayog–UNICEF India Partnership

• Focus Areas: The initiative focuses on Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks, which are relatively underdeveloped regions requiring targeted policy support.
• Objective: To leverage the strengths of both institutions for improving nutrition and health outcomes.
• Key Areas of Intervention: The partnership will support:
  • Strengthening Anganwadi infrastructure for better delivery of child development services.
  • Enhancing nutrition literacy among communities.
  • Improving uptake of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
  • Capacity building of frontline workers such as Anganwadi workers and health staff.
• IMPAct4Nutrition: IMPAct4Nutrition will serve as a platform to connect businesses, public sector enterprises, and industry associations with nutrition initiatives in Aspirational Districts and Blocks.

About IMPAct4Nutrition (I4N) Platform

• IMPAct4Nutrition (I4N) is a national platform launched by UNICEF India in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• Objective: To mobilise the private sector, public sector enterprises, and civil society to address malnutrition in India through collective action.
• Key Features: 
• • Multi-stakeholder Platform: Brings together businesses, development partners, government agencies, and civil society organisations to work collectively on nutrition.
  • CSR Mobilisation: Encourages companies to invest CSR funds in nutrition-focused programmes, particularly in underserved and aspirational regions.
  • Technical Support and Knowledge Sharing: Provides technical expertise, best practices, and evidence-based solutions for improving nutrition interventions.
  • Behaviour Change Campaigns: Promotes initiatives on healthy diets, breastfeeding, micronutrient intake, and balanced nutrition.
  • Support to Government Programmes: Complements government schemes such as POSHAN Abhiyaan and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).

Check Out UPSC CSE Books

Visit PW Store

DOWNLOAD PDF