Reimagining Last-Mile Nutrition: The Impact of Pada Pusti Karyakram

In remote and tribal hamlets of Odisha, ensuring every child receives a nutritious meal each day remains a challenge—especially in areas where public service delivery systems have limited reach. This is where the Pada Pusti Karyakram (PPK) steps in with an innovative, community-led approach to bridging this gap.

Pada Pushti Karyakram is not just a program—it's a reflection of the deep emotional bond and collective ownership of mothers' groups, rooted in care and community trust. It stands as a powerful reminder that a good program is not created by financial investment alone; it is sustained through people’s participation, empathy, and mother groups leadership.

PPK, meaning "Hamlet Nutrition Program," is a decentralized initiative aimed at reaching pre-school children, particularly those living in hard-to-reach and underserved habitations. By engaging mothers' groups and mobilizing village-level committees, PPK ensures that children receive one hot cooked nutritious meal daily in their own hamlets. It addresses the critical gap faced by children who are unable to access Hot Cooked Meals (HCM) under the Supplementary Nutrition Program due to the long distances, difficult terrain, hilly pathways, or streams that make daily travel to Anganwadi Centres nearly impossible, especially for small children.

I am very happy to have been a part of this program—from ideation and design to prototyping in 120 hamlets in Muniguda Block of Rayagada district. Today, the W&CD Department, Government of Odisha is scaling up this initiative under its own nutrition budget, covering around 1,800 hamlets across the state. Department has also been honored with the SKOCH Award for innovation and best practices in the Social Welfare category for this program.

Besides this, under the Community Nutrition Program, we are running 176 PPKs across 135 Anganwadi Centres in four intervention blocks of four districts through our partner organizations. Around 1,300 preschool children are receiving one full nutritious meal regularly (except on holidays) as per the ICDS menu.

This photo captures a vibrant moment from the Pada Pusti Karyakram in Gopinathpur Munda Sahi, where mothers actively engage in planning nutritious meals for preschool children using fresh, locally sourced vegetables. It reflects strong community ownership, women’s leadership, and meaningful community contribution in the form of local produce and voluntary effort. This grassroots-driven model is a powerful example of how collective action and local solutions can effectively address child malnutrition in remote hamlets.

Pada Pusti Karyakram not only ensures nutritious meals for children but also promotes healthy habits like handwashing, hygiene, and sanitation as part of daily routines. This integrated approach helps build a strong foundation for overall child well-being, reducing the risk of infections and supporting better growth outcomes.

What makes this model powerful is its adaptability. Through the PPK+ initiative, we extended support to one of the most nutritionally vulnerable groups—children aged 7 months to 3 years—by providing special feeding and home-based care. Around 1,190 children are currently receiving one full nutritious meal daily through PPK+. This initiative has not only improved nutritional intake but also strengthened community ownership, increased women’s participation, and enabled early identification of malnourished children.

An important evolution of Pada Pusti Karyakram has been the integration of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) activities, creating a more holistic environment for young children. Through simple, play-based and informal learning methods—like storytelling, singing, and interactive play—children are now engaged in cognitive and social development alongside nutrition. These activities, facilitated by Pusti Sakhi, not only prepare children for school readiness but also strengthen the bond between Pusti Sakhi and child. It reflects a shift from mere feeding to nurturing the child’s overall growth in a safe, stimulating setting.

We’ve seen remarkable outcomes:

• Increased participation of children in regular growth monitoring
• Improved dietary diversity among under-5 children
• Stronger convergence between frontline workers, Pusti sakhi and mother groups
• More inclusive service delivery in remote habitations

At its core, Pada Pusti Karyakram is more than a feeding program—it’s a model of nutrition governance rooted in equity, access, and dignity.

As we continue to scale and refine this model, I believe the learnings from PPK holds potential for replication in other geographies facing similar last-mile service delivery challenges.

Let’s continue to work together to make everyone’s nutrition right, not a privilege.

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