Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is set to become the first state in the country to implement a recipe-based supplementary nutrition system for children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers at Anganwadi centres. The initiative, introduced by the government led by Yogi Adityanath, aims to strengthen the fight against malnutrition by ensuring balanced and nutritious meals for beneficiaries.
According to officials, the new system will be implemented from April under the guidelines of the National Food Security Act and the Government of India’s nutrition framework. The scheme will also introduce a Face Recognition System (FRS) for the distribution of supplementary nutrition, making offline distribution invalid and ensuring transparency in the process.
Under the new arrangement, seven categories of beneficiaries will receive nutrition based on age and dietary needs. Infants aged six months to one year will receive wheat and gram flour-based sweet halwa. Children aged one to three years will also receive halwa, while children aged three to six years will be provided wheat-gram flour barfi along with nutritious khichdi made from dalia, moong, and soy. Pregnant and lactating women will receive fortified barfi made from wheat, gram flour, and soy, along with dalia-moong dal khichdi.
Special provisions have also been made for severely malnourished children. Children aged six months to one year will receive fortified halwa, while those aged one to three years will receive a special nutritious preparation called “Bal Sanjeevani.” Children between three and six years will be provided fortified halwa and nutritious porridge.
The recipes have been designed according to nutritional standards set by the central government, ensuring the required levels of calories, protein, and 11 essential micronutrients.
To support the implementation of the scheme, the state government has approved a viability gap fund of ₹301.19 crore for units producing Take Home Ration (THR). The production of recipe-based nutrition will be carried out through the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission and supplied directly to Anganwadi centres. In districts where SRLM units are not available, supplies will be arranged through National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India.
Officials said the financial support will help strengthen production units, ensure consistent supply of high-quality nutrition, and maintain the required standards for beneficiaries. The initiative is expected to significantly improve nutritional outcomes for children and mothers while strengthening the state’s efforts to combat malnutrition.
