New Delhi, March 05, 2026: ITC Ltd., in partnership with the Institute for Global Development (IGD), marked the fifth anniversary of Project Samposhan with a stakeholder consultation on anaemia prevention. The initiative, launched in 2021 under ITC’s Social Investment Programme, focuses on improving the nutritional status of women and adolescent girls through awareness, behavioural change, and evidence-based interventions.
Over the past five years, the programme has reached more than 1,30,000 beneficiaries across three districts of Uttar Pradesh. According to the organisers, the initiative has contributed to measurable improvements in haemoglobin levels among women and adolescent girls while strengthening awareness and healthy dietary practices related to anaemia prevention.
The milestone event was held on February 17, 2026, at the K. N. Udupa Auditorium, Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. The consultation brought together government officials, academic experts, development partners, community representatives, frontline health workers, youth leaders, and media representatives to review the programme’s progress and explore opportunities for future scale-up.
During the event, experts highlighted the importance of collaborative action in tackling anaemia and aligning with national health priorities. The Director of IMS, BHU, noted the programme’s relevance to government initiatives aimed at reducing anaemia. He said, “Over the past decade, the Government of India has made transformative efforts to make India anaemia-free through initiatives such as T3 screening camps, building public awareness through engaging information and education materials, and by dedicating significant funds under the Anaemia Mukt Bharat program.”
Project Samposhan has also examined the role of double-fortified salt (iron-fortified iodised salt) in addressing iron deficiency among communities. The intervention aims to support daily iron intake and improve haemoglobin levels among women and adolescent girls.
Mr. Anuj Rustagi, Chief Executive Staples (Aashirvaad), ITC Ltd., said, “Iron deficiency is one of the leading causes of anaemia, impacting a large section of young children and women of reproductive age. Through Project Samposhan, over the past 5 years, we have undertaken a systematic multi-stakeholder approach to address iron deficiency-led anaemia in target communities. The large-scale community impact of the initiative has been possible due to effective partnerships with like-minded organisations like IGD as well as technical expertise of our valuable knowledge partners like the Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU.”
He added, “We have seen proven benefits of regular consumption of Iron-fortified salt among communities during the project. We also learned about solving the technical challenges linked to manufacturing and consumer acceptance of Iron-fortified iodised salt. Along with our partners, we will continue to learn and improve all aspects of this programme to contribute meaningfully to Anaemia Mukt Bharat.”
Project Samposhan is implemented in collaboration with the Department of Community Medicine at IMS, BHU. The programme incorporates social behaviour change strategies, digital tools, research insights and community feedback to strengthen anaemia prevention efforts.
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