In Meghalaya a focused nutrition drive is underway to tackle anaemia and child malnutrition through community participation.At the helm of it is Dr. Abhishek Saini, a 2021-batch IAS officer currently posted as Deputy Commissioner of North Garo Hills, focused on practical models that combine child health,local participation and women-led livelihoods.

One of the district’s key initiatives is ‘Red Food Day’ launched across Anganwadi Centres, designed to promote iron-rich diets among children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. “Red signifies iron-rich foods” Dr. Saini explains.“The idea is simple children and mothers should regularly get iron-rich food in their diet.”

Instead of relying on additional funding,the programme uses community ownership model like collective cooking and weekly engagement. “The community here is strong. People come together for the good of the children.” He quoted.Once a week, communities gather at anganwadi centres. Parents, Self Help Group (SHG) members and frontline workers contribute green leafy vegetables, eggs and other nutritious items. Apart from this many anganwadis also use produce from their kitchen gardens.

Under Saini’s leadership by december 2025 the intervention had reached 289 villages and over 8,800 children turning Anganwadi Centres into vibrant spaces for nutrition learning rather than mere service delivery points. 

Building on this, the district launched a six-month 'Milk Mission' pilot in four anganwadis. Each child receives one glass of milk daily, five days a week. The milk is sourced from local dairy cooperatives, many run by women with small holdings.“Milk is considered a complete food”Dr. Saini notes.“At the same time, this supports local dairy farmers.” In just the first two months (Feb-March 2026), most of the 99 children in the pilot showed an incremental weight gain of 0.2-0.5 kg.Plus early feedback has shown improved attendance and positive response from parents

The third pillar is 'Women-Led Poultry Model' focused on livelihood and aligned with Meghalaya’s Vision 2032.Self Help Groups are supported with low-cost sheds, commercial layer birds and training,enabling them to generate steady income through egg and poultry sales.With institutional demand from nutrition programmes and access to local markets,the model projects a 78% year-on-year income growth while also strengthening local availability of eggs.

Together, these efforts are building a healthier and financially stronger North Garo Hills.