Sri Vijaya Puram | February 24, 2026
The Second State Core Committee Meeting on Food, Nutrition, Health & WASH (FNHW) and Gender Interventions under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) was convened on Tuesday at the Conference Hall of the Directorate of Rural Development, PRIs & ULBs. The meeting was chaired by the Director (RD/Panchayats) and State Mission Director, ANIRLM.
The meeting marked a significant step towards institutional strengthening and convergence-driven implementation of FNHW and gender interventions across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Representatives from various line departments, including Health, ICDS, Social Welfare, Education, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, as well as the State and District Legal Services Authorities, participated in the deliberations. NGOs such as PRAYAS, the International Human Rights and Crime Control Organization, and DAKSHIN Foundation were also present, along with officials from the Rural Development Department.
During the meeting, the Chair underscored the importance of water conservation and called for enhanced community-level awareness to ensure judicious use of water resources and long-term sustainability. It was directed that discussions on water-saving practices be made mandatory in all regular meetings of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Village Organizations (VOs), and Model Cluster Level Federations (CLFs).
The Chair further emphasized strengthening community-led platforms to effectively promote FNHW and gender modules with active support from line departments. Highlighting that FNHW and gender remain cross-cutting priorities under DAY-NRLM, the State Mission Director stressed the need to integrate these themes into all livelihood and social development interventions.
Focus was also laid on capacity building of Community Resource Persons (CRPs), structured Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns, and outcome-based monitoring mechanisms to ensure measurable impact at the grassroots level.
The meeting concluded with directions to intensify convergence efforts, conduct regular awareness programmes and health camps, and ensure sustained community engagement to achieve improved outcomes in food security, nutrition, health, sanitation, and gender equity across the Union Territory.
