NITI Aayog, UNICEF India Partner to Boost Nutrition and Health in Aspirational Districts, Blocks

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New Delhi: NITI Aayog has signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) with UNICEF India to support strategic healthcare interventions in Aspirational Districts and Blocks across the country.

The partnership aims to strengthen efforts to improve maternal and child nutrition outcomes in underserved regions.

Under the agreement, both organisations will collaborate to combine their strengths and expand health and nutrition initiatives in priority areas. The partnership will promote multi-stakeholder engagement and strengthen implementation systems for nutrition and health programmes at the block level.

The SOI was signed by Rohit Kumar, Additional Secretary and Mission Director of the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme at NITI Aayog, and Arjan de Wagt, Deputy Representative at UNICEF India.

Focus on last-mile delivery and system strengthening

NITI Aayog stated that collaborations with organisations such as UNICEF India are expected to strengthen efforts to address critical health and nutrition challenges while improving last-mile service delivery in high-priority regions. It also noted that the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme has demonstrated the value of convergence, collaboration, and data-driven governance in accelerating development outcomes.

Through its platform IMPAct4Nutrition (I4N), UNICEF India will provide technical expertise and help engage businesses, public sector enterprises, and industry associations. The platform will also facilitate the channeling of corporate social responsibility (CSR) investments into nutrition-focused initiatives.

Strengthening community and frontline systems

The partnership will focus on improving Anganwadi infrastructure, increasing nutrition literacy, and boosting the uptake of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). It will also prioritise capacity building for frontline workers involved in delivering health and nutrition services.

In addition, the collaboration will mobilise CSR partners to support health and nutrition interventions, promote community engagement, and create knowledge-sharing platforms to identify and scale best practices across Aspirational Districts and Blocks.