Lucknow: The CM Yogi government’s commitment to eliminating malnutrition and hunger has resulted in saving the lives of lakhs of children across the state. Under the ‘Sambhav Abhiyan’, 81 percent of children identified as Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) have returned to a normal nutritional category. This is a comprehensive initiative that ensures prevention, timely identification, and effective management of malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life.
A large number of children in the state were battling acute malnutrition, posing serious risks to their survival and development. The government treated this issue as a major challenge and, with support from the central government, formulated a comprehensive strategy.
Technology has played a crucial role in strengthening the Sambhav Abhiyan. Growth Monitoring Devices have been deployed across 1.89 lakh Anganwadi centres, along with the implementation of a Nutrition Tracker system.
Data of registered malnourished children has been integrated with the Health Department’s eKavach application, ensuring transparency in treatment and follow-up.
More than 17 million children have been screened, leading to the registration of 2.5 lakh malnourished children. Over one lakh Anganwadi workers and ANMs have been trained to enhance grassroots-level capacity. By ensuring proper nutrition delivery to children, the state is achieving significant progress toward building a Viksit Uttar Pradesh.
The Sambhav Abhiyan is not limited to children but lays the foundation for nutritional security from pregnancy itself. Pregnant women suffering from low weight and anaemia are identified early and provided with timely registration, regular weight monitoring, iron and folic acid and calcium supplementation, and nutritional counselling.
For infants aged 0 to 6 months, low birth weight and pre-term babies are identified and kept under special monitoring. Complicated cases are referred to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres for appropriate treatment. This coordinated approach strikes at the root cause of malnutrition.
Every year from June to September, an intensive campaign is conducted across all Anganwadi centres in the state to ensure comprehensive screening, identification, and treatment of children.
The results of the Sambhav Abhiyan are now visible on the ground. The rate at which malnourished children are being brought into the normal category is steadily increasing, marking a significant achievement for the state.
Sambhav Abhiyan is not just a program but a broad social movement that unites communities, service providers, and policymakers toward the shared goal of improved nutrition.
