Assam’s ‘Matsya Paripusti’ initiative wins Karmashree Award for boosting child nutrition
Assam’s Matsya Paripusti initiative has won the Karmashree Award for using fish powder in children’s meals. The model links local nutrition gains with scope for wider rollout and rural livelihoods.
- Aug 13, 2026,
- Updated Aug 13, 2026, 11:15 AM IST
Assam’s innovative ‘Matsya Paripusti’ initiative, which uses scientifically processed small indigenous fish powder to improve child nutrition, has received the state government’s prestigious Karmashree Award.
The Kamrup district-based initiative converts locally available small fish such as mua and dorikona into a nutritious powder, which is added to hot cooked meals served at Anganwadi centres and lower primary schools.
The fish is processed whole and machine-dried before being converted into powder, providing children with protein, calcium, iron, essential vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and other micronutrients.
The initiative, led by School Inspector and District Elementary Education Officer (Kamrup) Tapan Kumar Kalita and his team, began with awareness and demonstration programmes in 2023. During Nutrition Month, it was initially introduced among around 7,000 children across 293 Anganwadi centres, recording an acceptance rate of nearly 95 per cent.
The programme was subsequently expanded to 55 Anganwadi centres and 43 lower primary schools, reaching around 3,300 children during a six-month intervention.
Scientific assessments conducted at baseline, midline and endline stages reported improvements in haemoglobin levels, anaemia, nutritional status and growth parameters. The findings were analysed by WorldFish and later submitted to the National Fisheries Development Board.
The initiative is now being considered for wider expansion under PM-POSHAN and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana across Kamrup, Darrang and Morigaon districts.
Beyond improving child nutrition, the initiative could also create new livelihood opportunities by generating demand for locally produced fish and supporting fish farmers, processors and rural entrepreneurs.
The Matsya Paripusti model highlights how Assam’s local resources, scientific knowledge and coordinated government efforts can be combined to address nutritional challenges while strengthening rural livelihoods.