What is the meaning of SNP in Poshan Tracker?

December 31, 2025 •

2 min read

According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Poshan Tracker is used for the last-mile tracking of nutrition service delivery. In this context, the meaning of SNP in Poshan Tracker is the Supplementary Nutrition Programme, a core component of India's efforts to combat malnutrition. This digital tool ensures real-time monitoring and tracking of these vital nutrition services.

Quick Summary

The Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) is a government initiative monitored through the Poshan Tracker app to provide vital nutrition services to eligible beneficiaries, including pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children. The tracker digitizes data entry and provides real-time information for better supervision and management of nutritional outcomes nationwide.

Key Points

Full Form: SNP stands for Supplementary Nutrition Programme, a key component of India's ICDS scheme.
Objective: The program's goal is to provide additional nutrition to vulnerable groups to combat malnutrition.
Beneficiaries: Primary beneficiaries include pregnant women, lactating mothers, children from 6 months to 6 years, and severely underweight children.
Monitoring Tool: The Poshan Tracker is the mobile-based application used for real-time monitoring and management of SNP delivery.
Digital Tracking: Anganwadi workers use the app for real-time data entry of service delivery, growth monitoring, and beneficiary information.
Accountability: The digital system increases transparency and accountability in service delivery compared to older paper-based methods.
Challenges: Despite its benefits, challenges include connectivity issues in remote areas and data integrity concerns.

What is the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP)?

The Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) is a key part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme in India, aimed at providing extra nutrition to vulnerable populations to fight malnutrition. It focuses on timely and quality delivery of nutritional supplements.

Who are the beneficiaries of SNP?

SNP targets several groups considered vulnerable to malnutrition. These include pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children aged 6 months to 6 years. Children identified as severely underweight are also beneficiaries. Adolescent girls are included in some regions.

Services are primarily delivered through Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).

How does the Poshan Tracker monitor SNP services?

The Poshan Tracker is a mobile app from the Ministry of Women and Child Development designed to improve the monitoring of nutrition services through technology.

Key ways the Poshan Tracker assists with SNP include real-time digital data entry by Anganwadi workers, beneficiary management through digital profiles, tracking of supplementary nutrition distribution, growth monitoring via height and weight data, and reminders for home visits. This system offers a detailed view of AWC activities and beneficiary status.

Comparison: Traditional SNP Monitoring vs. Poshan Tracker


Feature	Traditional SNP Monitoring	Poshan Tracker Monitoring
Data Collection	Paper-based methods.	Real-time digital entry via app.
Data Accuracy	Higher risk of errors and delays.	Improved accuracy and validation.
Service Accountability	Based on physical records.	Digital records and time-stamped entries enhance accountability.
Beneficiary Identification	Prone to duplication.	Uses unique digital IDs, reducing duplication.
Monitoring and Supervision	Delayed oversight.	Dynamic, real-time monitoring.
Intervention Speed	Slow response to issues.	Faster identification of issues for prompt action.

Challenges and Improvements in SNP Delivery

Challenges like digital literacy, inconsistent connectivity, and infrastructure gaps still exist. Discrepancies between Poshan Tracker data and survey findings also highlight the need for data validation. Ongoing training, app updates, and infrastructure development are crucial for addressing these issues.

Conclusion

In summary, SNP within the Poshan Tracker framework refers to the Supplementary Nutrition Programme, a vital initiative against malnutrition. The Poshan Tracker has significantly improved SNP monitoring and delivery through its real-time digital platform, enhancing data collection, accountability, and intervention speed. Despite ongoing challenges, the Poshan Tracker is a key technological tool in India's efforts to improve public health outcomes. For further information, refer to {Link: PIB https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1742817}.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary purpose of the SNP is to provide additional nutritional support to specific vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, lactating mothers, and young children, to combat malnutrition and improve health outcomes.

Anganwadi workers (AWWs) are the frontline functionaries who use the Poshan Tracker app to record the delivery of SNP services to beneficiaries in real-time.

The Poshan Tracker logs data entries by Anganwadi workers, tracking the distribution of services like Take Home Rations (THR) and Hot Cooked Meals (HCM). In some cases, features like OTP-based verification or facial recognition are used to streamline the distribution process.

No, SNP specifically targets children between 6 months and 6 years of age who are registered at Anganwadi Centres. Additional support is provided for severely malnourished children within this age group.

THR stands for Take Home Rations, which are nutritional supplements provided to beneficiaries to be consumed at home. HCM stands for Hot Cooked Meals, which are prepared and served at the Anganwadi Centre.

Anganwadi workers enter children's height and weight data into the Poshan Tracker. The app automatically plots this data on WHO growth charts, flagging children who fall into the stunted, wasted, or underweight categories for targeted intervention.

No, while SNP monitoring is a core function, the Poshan Tracker is a comprehensive tool that tracks a wide range of services, including home visits, attendance, and pre-school education activities at Anganwadi Centres.