CM Majhi honours Anganwadi, ASHA workers at Poshan Maah event
Synopsis
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi felicitated Anganwadi and ASHA workers at the state-level Angan Ka Utsav and 9th National Nutrition Month event in Bhubaneswar on 29 September 2026, calling for collective participation in building a well-nourished Odisha.
Key Takeaways
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attended the state-level Angan Ka Utsav and 9th Poshan Maah event in Bhubaneswar on 29 September 2026 .
Anganwadi and ASHA workers were publicly felicitated by the Chief Minister at the function.
Majhi spent time with young children at the event and called on all citizens to participate in building a well-nourished and developed Odisha .
Poshan Maah is an annual September campaign run under POSHAN Abhiyaan , launched in 2018 to combat stunting, undernutrition, and anaemia.
The event underscores Odisha's alignment with the national 'Jan Andolan' approach — making nutrition a community movement, not just a government programme.
Bhubaneswar lit up on Tuesday, 29 September 2026 with children at the centre — as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi joined frontline nutrition workers, mothers, and toddlers at the state-level 'Angan Ka Utsav' and the 9th National Nutrition Month (Poshan Maah) event, felicitating the women who quietly hold Odisha's child-health system together.
The Chief Minister's Office of Odisha posted that Majhi honoured Anganwadi and ASHA workers at the Bhubaneswar function, spent time among young children, and called on all sections of society to participate in building a 'well-nourished and developed Odisha' — ସୁପୋଷିତ ଓ ବିକଶିତ ଓଡ଼ିଶା (suposhita o bikashita Odisha).
Who keeps the nutrition net alive — and why they were on stage
Anganwadi workers are the engine of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, delivering supplementary nutrition, immunisation support, pre-school education, and referral services at the village level. ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, deployed under the National Health Mission, serve as the last-mile link between rural communities and the formal healthcare system. Together, these two cadres reach millions of children under the age of six and pregnant or lactating mothers — the precise demographic that POSHAN Abhiyaan, launched in 2018, was designed to protect. Felicitating them on a public stage is a signal: the state government regards their work as mission-critical, not peripheral.What Poshan Maah means for Odisha's nutrition fight
Every September, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development mobilises states for Poshan Maah — a month-long campaign to drive awareness around stunting, wasting, anaemia, and low birth weight. The 9th edition in 2026 continues a tradition that has steadily expanded its community reach since the Abhiyaan's launch. For Odisha, a state that has historically carried a significant nutrition burden in its tribal and rural districts, state-level events like 'Angan Ka Utsav' translate national targets into local momentum. Majhi's appeal for collective participation — asking every citizen, not just government machinery — echoes the Abhiyaan's 'Jan Andolan' (people's movement) philosophy: that stunting cannot be solved by policy papers alone. The children in the room were not a backdrop. They were the point.Point of View
Who have periodically agitated for better pay and status recognition. Within the POSHAN Abhiyaan framework, state governments that demonstrate political ownership of nutrition targets tend to unlock stronger community mobilisation — and Odisha, with its tribal-district nutrition burden, needs exactly that. Whether the optics translate into measurable improvements in the state's stunting and anaemia data will be the real test.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Poshan Maah and why is it celebrated in September?
Poshan Maah is a month-long national nutrition awareness campaign held every September by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development under POSHAN Abhiyaan, launched in 2018 to reduce stunting, undernutrition, and anaemia among children and women across India.
What is Angan Ka Utsav?
Angan Ka Utsav is a celebratory programme associated with the Anganwadi network that brings together communities, frontline workers, and officials to highlight early childhood nutrition and care, typically held during Poshan Maah.
Who are Anganwadi workers and what do they do?
Anganwadi workers are frontline government-appointed workers under the Integrated Child Development Services scheme who deliver supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, immunisation support, and health referrals at the village level, primarily serving children under six and mothers.
Who are ASHA workers in India?
ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers are community health volunteers deployed under the National Health Mission to serve as the link between rural populations and the healthcare system, assisting with maternal health, immunisation, and disease awareness.
What did CM Mohan Charan Majhi do at the Poshan Maah event in Bhubaneswar?
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attended the state-level Angan Ka Utsav and 9th National Nutrition Month event in Bhubaneswar on 29 September 2026, felicitated Anganwadi and ASHA workers, spent time with young children, and called on all citizens to join efforts to build a well-nourished and developed Odisha.
