Gandhinagar, Feb 6 : More than 5.14 lakh beneficiaries have been newly brought under various Anganwadi schemes across Gujarat following a focused coverage exercise aimed at strengthening access to nutrition and health services for mothers and young children.

The initiative, carried out between November 2025 and January 2026, expanded the reach of welfare services to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children aged up to six years, with a major share of enrolments recorded in tribal and rural areas.

The Women and Child Development (WCD) Coverage Drive was undertaken to identify and include eligible beneficiaries who were previously outside the Anganwadi network.

The campaign was implemented under the leadership of Women and Child Development Minister Manisha Vakil to ensure that essential nutrition and basic healthcare services reach every eligible child and mother.

Official figures show that over 2.55 lakh beneficiaries from tribal areas were added during the drive, while more than 2.07 lakh beneficiaries from rural regions and around 51,000 from urban areas were also linked to Anganwadi services.

These beneficiaries are now covered under schemes providing supplementary nutrition, growth monitoring and access to basic health-related support.

Officials said the results were achieved through detailed micro-planning by district administrations, which helped in uncovering households and prioritising outreach in remote and interior regions.

The campaign placed particular emphasis on tribal belts and rural pockets, where gaps in coverage were more pronounced.

To maintain the accuracy of beneficiary data, the department used the TECHO software, a digital platform for maternal and child health tracking, alongside systematic field verification.

Officials said the use of technology, combined with on-ground checks, helped prevent duplication and ensured that eligible beneficiaries were correctly identified within a short timeframe.

Anganwadi workers and helpers played a key role in implementing the drive through door-to-door outreach and verification, supported by district-level officials.

Their efforts led to improvements in data accuracy and helped extend services to beneficiaries who had previously remained unregistered.

/IANS