Gujarat Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana 2026: Eligibility, Milk Benefits, and Statewide Expansion

What Is the Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana in Gujarat?

Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana is a state-funded milk supplementation program that targets malnutrition, anemia, and stunting among tribal populations in Gujarat. The scheme operates through two connected tracks run by two different departments: the Tribal Development Department runs a school-based version for Scheduled Tribe students, and the Women and Child Development Department runs an Anganwadi-based version for young children and mothers. Both tracks share the same core mechanism: distributing pasteurized, fortified milk at a fixed quantity on a regular schedule through existing government infrastructure rather than creating new distribution centers.

The scheme relies on Gujarat’s dairy cooperative network, the same structure that supplies Amul-branded products commercially, to source and pasteurize the milk before it reaches Anganwadi centers, primary schools, and Ashramshalas (residential tribal schools). This cooperative-based supply chain keeps procurement local to each region: Banas Dairy serves northern districts, Sumul Dairy serves Surat and Tapi, and other cooperatives serve their respective command areas. Because the milk is fortified rather than plain, it delivers measurable amounts of vitamin A and vitamin D alongside standard milk protein and fat, addressing micronutrient gaps that plain milk alone would not close.

Who Is Eligible for Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana Benefits?

Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana eligibility depends on which of the two program tracks applies to the beneficiary, and the two tracks do not use identical criteria. Under the Tribal Development Department’s school-based track, eligibility is limited to Scheduled Tribe students enrolled in primary schools and Ashramshalas located in designated tribal talukas. Under the Women and Child Development Department’s ICDS-based track, eligibility covers children aged 6 months to 6 years, along with pregnant women and lactating mothers, provided they are registered at an Anganwadi center in a covered tribal ICDS block.

Neither track currently publishes an income ceiling as an eligibility filter; enrollment instead depends on geographic location (residence within a covered tribal taluka or ICDS block) and category status (Scheduled Tribe status for the school track, or Anganwadi registration for the ICDS track). A family with a child already registered at a covered Anganwadi center does not need a separate application for the milk benefit itself. Readers should confirm current block coverage and registration steps directly with their local Anganwadi worker or Child Development Project Officer, since coverage boundaries changed materially with the 2026 expansion.

How Much Fortified Milk Do Beneficiaries Receive?

Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana provides 200 ml of fortified, flavoured milk per beneficiary as the standard daily or scheduled portion, with the exact frequency varying by beneficiary group. School-going Scheduled Tribe students receive their 200 ml portion in school every day, fortified with 3% fat, 24 grams of carbohydrate, 7 grams of protein, 500 IU of vitamin A, and 40 IU of vitamin D per serving. Pregnant and lactating women registered under the Anganwadi track receive the same 200 ml portion, but on a fixed schedule of two days per week rather than daily.

This distinction matters for anyone trying to estimate total nutrition delivered: a schoolchild receiving milk five or six days a week accumulates roughly three times the weekly milk volume of a pregnant or lactating beneficiary on the two-day schedule. The nutrient values listed here apply specifically to the long-standing school-track formulation; the 2026 fat-content pilot changes the fat percentage for select ICDS-track districts, which the next section covers in detail.

What Changed in the 2026 Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana Expansion?

Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana expanded to cover all tribal ICDS blocks in Gujarat in July 2026, adding the 53 blocks that had not previously received the program. Before this expansion, the scheme’s ICDS track operated in 20 districts, including Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Panchmahal, Dahod, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Bharuch, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Valsad, and Dang, along with selected areas of Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Patan, Kheda, Jamnagar, and Botad. The Women and Child Development Department approved the expansion through a government resolution after the ICDS Commissioner’s Office proposed extending coverage to the remaining blocks.

The practical effect of the expansion is that thousands of additional children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers in tribal areas gain access to daily or weekly fortified milk who previously lived outside any covered block. Because the expansion covers tribal ICDS blocks specifically, urban or non-tribal ICDS blocks remain outside this particular expansion, even within the same district.

How Does the 2026 High-Fat Milk Pilot Work?

The 2026 high-fat milk pilot raises the fat content of Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana milk above the previous 1.5% standard for beneficiaries in five specific districts. Narmada, Dahod, and Dang districts will pilot milk with 3% fat content, while Valsad and Sabarkantha districts will pilot milk with 4.5% fat content. The Women and Child Development Department designed this as a first-time pilot, meaning fat content had not previously varied by district before this 2026 policy change.

Higher fat content increases the caloric density of each 200 ml serving without increasing serving volume, which supports children’s energy needs and physical development more efficiently per serving. The pilot structure, testing two different fat levels across five districts rather than applying one fat percentage statewide, allows the department to compare outcomes before deciding whether to standardize a higher fat content across all tribal ICDS blocks.

Which Districts and Cooperative Dairies Implement the Scheme?

District-level cooperative dairies manufacture, fortify, and distribute Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana milk under contracts with the relevant government department, rather than the government producing milk directly. Sumul Dairy supplies Surat and Tapi districts, where it distributes to 1,598 primary schools and Ashramshalas covering 1,61,681 students and 3,562 Anganwadis covering 1,23,985 additional beneficiaries, based on its own published operational figures. Other cooperatives, including Banas Dairy, Amul, and Mahi Dairy, supply their respective geographic command areas following the same cooperative-to-Anganwadi supply model.

This distributed cooperative structure means milk quality, fortification consistency, and delivery reliability can vary slightly by which cooperative serves a given district, since each cooperative manages its own processing and logistics within department-set specifications. Since 2016, the department has required participating cooperatives to handle both production and supply logistics directly, replacing earlier arrangements and standardizing accountability to a named cooperative per region.

How Is the 2026 Expansion Funded and Monitored?

The Gujarat state government funds the entire 2026 Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana expansion, allocating approximately Rs 37.709 crore for the 53-block rollout and a separate Rs 0.3035 crore for the high-fat milk pilot. No central government or external funding source contributes to this particular expansion; the cost sits entirely on the state budget. This full state funding distinguishes the 2026 expansion from centrally sponsored nutrition schemes that split costs between state and central governments.

To monitor delivery under the expanded program, the department committed to three specific mechanisms: digitizing scheme processes, routing procurement through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, and disbursing financial aid via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) rather than manual cash or voucher systems. The department also committed to regular social audits and third-party verification to confirm that milk reaches registered beneficiaries rather than being diverted or under-delivered. These four mechanisms together replace what had previously been a less standardized, more manually tracked distribution process.

How Has Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana Evolved Since 2006?

Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana has expanded through five distinct phases since its first pilot, each adding either geographic coverage, beneficiary categories, or supply infrastructure.

How Do Beneficiaries Access Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana Milk?

Beneficiaries receive Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana milk directly at the institution where they are already enrolled or registered, without a separate application process for the milk itself. Scheduled Tribe students receive their 200 ml portion at school during the school day, delivered by the school administration after cooperative dairies supply the pouches. Anganwadi-registered children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers receive their portion at the Anganwadi center on the scheduled distribution days, coordinated by the Anganwadi worker and the Child Development Project Officer for that block.

Because the benefit is tied to existing enrollment (school admission or Anganwadi registration) rather than a standalone welfare application, the practical first step for a new beneficiary is enrolling in the underlying institution, not applying to Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana directly. Families in the newly added 53 ICDS blocks should confirm with their local Anganwadi center whether milk distribution has started, since a policy approval and an operational rollout at the center level do not always happen on the same date.