Fortune India MPW 2026: Nutrition key to Viksit Bharat, NFHS-6 validates Poshan Abhiyan, says MoS Anupriya Patel

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel on Friday said the findings of the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) validate the government's nutrition initiatives, particularly the Poshan Abhiyan, asserting that the programme has played an instrumental role in improving maternal nutrition across the country.

Speaking at Fortune India's Most Powerful Women (MPW) 2026 event in Mumbai today, Patel said nutrition remains the foundation of women's health and economic empowerment, adding that only healthy and well-nourished women can contribute effectively to India's ambition of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

"We know nutrition fuels life, and we also realise that it is only healthy and well-nourished women who can grow into a productive workforce and contribute to the larger national aspiration of a developed India by 2047," she said.

Patel said the Centre launched the National Nutrition Mission, or Poshan Abhiyan, to address the nutritional requirements of adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers. According to her, the latest NFHS-6 findings clearly demonstrate that the initiative has significantly improved maternal nutrition in the country.

"The recent National Family Health Survey-6 that has come out clearly reflects that this initiative taken by the Government of India has played an instrumental role in improving maternal nutrition in the country," she said.

The minister linked better nutrition outcomes with wider improvements in maternal healthcare, saying India has made substantial progress in reducing maternal mortality. She claimed the country has reduced its Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by 86%, compared with a 48% decline globally, reflecting the government's focus on providing affordable, accessible and quality maternal healthcare, particularly for women from underprivileged communities.

Patel also highlighted preventive healthcare initiatives aimed at women, including the rollout of HPV vaccination for 14-year-old girls to protect them against cervical cancer. She said large-scale screening programmes under the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have further strengthened women's healthcare, with 16 crore free breast cancer screenings and 9.5 crore cervical cancer screenings conducted so far.

She added that initiatives such as Jan Aushadhi Kendras, which sell affordable Suvidha sanitary napkins, along with sanitation measures under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, have contributed to improving menstrual hygiene management among girls and women, as reflected in the National Family Health Survey.