NEW DELHI: The eighth Poshan Maah 2025, a national campaign that promotes nutrition awareness, which will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, will focus on creating awareness on growing obesity in the country.
It will also create awareness on consuming less sugar and oil to build a healthier India, said Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi on Tuesday.
"The Poshan Maah 2025, which focuses on critical themes such as anaemia prevention, growth monitoring, effective service delivery through good governance and technology, 'Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi', and supplementary nutrition, will continue till October 16," the minister said.
In a post on X, she said that the prime minister will launch Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan on September 17, which is also his birthday.
"The Poshan Maah will be observed at all Anganwadis to promote nutrition, health awareness, and overall well-being. Also, the focus will be on the healthy and nutritious diet for children," she noted.
As many as 75,000 health camps will be organised at all the healthcare facilities, including Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and Community Health Centres (CHCs), during the campaign.
The campaign will conclude on October 2, the birth anniversary of father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
These camps will provide essential services specifically designed to address the healthcare needs of women and children, supporting the government’s vision of inclusive healthcare.
The focus of Abhiyaan is to lay emphasis on nutritional status of adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers and children from 0-6 years of age.
The programme, through the use of technology, convergence and community involvement with a targeted approach, strives to reduce the level of stunning, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight in children, as well as focus on adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers, thus holistically addressing malnutrition.
This time, the focus is also on growing obesity in the country -- an issue that has been raised by the PM on various occasions.
As per The Lancet Global Burden of Disease 2021 obesity forecasting study, published in 2025, the number of overweight and obese adults in India is projected to rise from 18 crores in 2021 to 44.9 crores by 2050, making it the country with the second-highest global burden.
Obesity significantly raises the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and certain cancers.
The minister also appealed to the people to participate in the health awareness campaign.