(GIST OF KURUKSHETRA) Rashtriya Poshan Maah: Social Behaviour Communication Change (SBCC)

(OCTOBER-2025)

Rashtriya Poshan Maah: Social Behaviour Communication Change (SBCC)

Context:

Malnutrition is not just a social or health issue, rather it is an economic crisis. It reduces productivity, burdens healthcare systems, and hinders human capital development. Globally, malnutrition is estimated to cost the economy up to US$3.5 trillion per year, or about US$500 per person. Thus for any nation, addressing malnutrition becomes an economic necessity.

Poshan Maah as the SBCC Engine of Poshan Abhiyaan

The national SBCC strategy deliberately uses a mix of mass-, mid- and interpersonal-media and community-based events (CBEs) to reach different audiences and influences like mothers, fathers, mothers-in-law, teachers, local elected leaders and religious/community figures.
Materials range from TV and radio spots, mobile videos and flipbooks for frontline workers, to wall-painting prototypes, folk media (nukkadnatak), and digital content for social platforms. Poshan Maah operationalises this strategy by coordinating:

Mass media campaigns for broad exposure.
Mid-media tools (street plays, school activities, local radio) for community penetration.
Intensified interpersonal counselling (home visits guided by the POSHAN Tracker) for households requiring tailored support.

Rashtriya Poshan Maah, launched in 2018 as part of the Poshan Abhiyaan, has over the years grown into one of India’s largest people-led movements for nutrition. Conceived as a Jan Andolan, it sets out to mobilise communities across the country to tackle malnutrition through awareness, behavioural change, and local action.
The first Poshan Maah in 2018 witnessed modest beginnings. The early efforts largely focused on spreading awareness in schools, communities, and anganwadi centres, and they laid the foundation for what would soon become a nationwide movement engaging citizens at lease scale.
In 2019, the campaign gathered momentum with the theme Poshan Tyohar Se Vyavahar, highlighting the importance of translating festive celebrations into healthy nutrition practices in daily life.
In 2021, the campaign adopted a more structured approach with weekly thematic activities, coinciding with the celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. These themes ranged from plantation drives and yoga-based nutrition awareness to distribution of region- specific nutrition kits and the identification and management of malnourished children.

Conclusion:

Poshan Maah is the focal point of a year-round SBCC and service delivery architecture. When Poshan Maah is used strategically, it becomes a potent instrument in the larger journey to a Suposhit Bharat. Poshan Maah exemplifies how a carefully sequenced SBCC strategy, backed by frontline systems and local governance, can convert policy ambition into household practice. If India s long-term goal is a generation free of malnutrition, the month of Poshan Maah must continue to be the calendar moment when the nation not only reaffirms its commitment, but also measures, learns and strengthens the machinery of change.