icds-wcd.nic.in Integrated Child Development Services ICDS Scheme : Ministry of Women & Child Development

Organization : Ministry of Women & Child Development
Facility : Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme

Details : https://trackthemissingchild.gov.in/trackchild/index.php
Home Page : https://icds.gov.in/

ICDS Scheme :

** Children in the age group 0-6 years constitute around 158 million of the population of India (2011 census).
** These Children are the future human resource of the country.

Related : National Tracking System For Missing & Vulnerable Children : www.statusin.in/19993.html

** Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing various schemes for welfare, development and protection of children.
** Launched on 2nd October, 1975, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme is one of the flagship programmes of the Government of India and represents one of the world’s largest and unique programmes for early childhood care and development.
** It is the foremost symbol of country’s commitment to its children and nursing mothers, as a response to the challenge of providing pre-school non-formal education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning capacity and mortality on the other.
** The beneficiaries under the Scheme are children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Objectives of the Scheme are:
** to improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years;
** to lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child;
** to reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;
** to achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and
** to enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.

Services under ICDS :
The ICDS Scheme offers a package of six services, viz.
** Supplementary Nutrition
** Pre-school non-formal education
** Nutrition & health education
** Immunization
** Health check-up and

Referral services :
** The last three services are related to health and are provided by Ministry/Department of Health and Family Welfare through NRHM & Health system.
** The perception of providing a package of services is based primarily on the consideration that the overall impact will be much larger if the different services develop in an integrated manner as the efficacy of a particular service depends upon the support it receives from the related services.
** For better governance in the delivery of the Scheme, convergence is, therefore, one of the key features of the ICDS Scheme.
** This convergence is in-built in the Scheme which provides a platform in the form of Anganwadi Centres for providing all services under the Scheme.

Funding Pattern :
** Prior to 2005-06, providing of supplementary nutrition was the responsibility of the States and administrative cost was provided by the Government of India as 100% central assistance.
** The nutrition costs were meagre and coverage of the programme in all villages/habitations was also limited and not universal.
** Since many States were not providing adequate supplementary nutrition in view of resource constraints, it was decided in 2005-06 to support the States/UTs up to 50% of the financial norms or to support 50% of expenditure incurred by them on supplementary nutrition, whichever is less. Since 2009-10, Government of India has modified the sharing pattern of the ICDS Scheme between the Centre and States.
** The sharing pattern of supplementary nutrition in respect of North-Eastern States between Centre and States has been changed from 50:50 to 90:10 ratios.
** In respect of other States/UTs, the existing sharing pattern in respect of supplementary nutrition is 50:50.
** The existing cost sharing ratio for other components is 90:10 except the new components approved under Strengthening & Restructuring for which it is 75:25 (90:10 for NER).

Registration of Beneficiaries :
** All children below 6 years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers are eligible for availing of services under the ICDS Scheme.
** BPL is not a criterion for registration of beneficiaries under ICDS.
** The Scheme is universal for all categories of beneficiaries and in coverage.

Expansion of ICDS :
** Launched in 1975 in 33 Blocks (Projects) with 4891 AWCs.
** Gradually expanded to 5652 Projects with nearly 6 lakh AWCs by the end of 9th Plan.
** Cureently 7076 Projects and 14 lakh AWCs have been apporved. This includes a provision of 20,000 AWCs ‘on demand’.
** All 14 lakh AWCs have been sanctioned to the States/UTs
** As on 31.03.2015 13.46 lakh AWCs are Operational.

Revised Financial Norms (w.e.f 22.10.2012) :
Financial Norms of Supplementary Nutrition were revised w.e.f. 22.10.2012 to be rolled out in phased manner under the Restructured ICDS.

Financial progress during the XI and XII Plan Period :
With wider spread of the Scheme, Plan Allocation, which stood at Rs. 44,400 crore for the Eleventh Plan has been increased to Rs.1,03,003 crores for the Twelfth Plan. For the 3rd year of the Twelfth Plan i.e. for 2014-15, an amount of Rs.16581.82 crores has been released to States/UTs as on 31.03.2015 against Originally Budget allocation (BE) of Rs.18195.00 crore. However, the allocation for ICDS at Revised Estimate (RE) stage has been pegged at Rs.16312.00 crores. Thus, the utilization as on 31.03.2015 under ICDS against RE is 100.12. This includes an amount of Rs. 9869.91 crore for ICDS (General & Training) and Rs. 6711.91 crore for Supplementary Nutrition component under ICDS Scheme released during 2014-15. An amount of Rs.5001.73 crore has been released to various States/UTs during 2015-16 as on 31.07.2015.

Existing Monitoring System under ICDS Scheme:

Monitoring Mechanism :
** Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has the overall responsibility of monitoring the ICDS Scheme.
** There exists a Central Level ICDS Monitoring Unit in the Ministry which is responsible for collection and analysis of the periodic work reports received from the States in the prescribed formats.
** Records and registers at AWC level and monthly/ half yearly progress reports at Block and Anganwadi levels have been prescribed.
** States/ UTs are required to compile the information and send the State level consolidated reports to MWCD on number of operational projects, AWCs, number of beneficiaries of supplementary nutrition and pre-school education and nutritional status of children.
** The information received in the prescribed formats is compiled, processed and analysed at the Central level on quarterly basis.
** The progress and shortfalls indicated in the reports on ICDS are reviewed by the Ministry with the State Governments regularly by review meetings and field visits.

Wheat Based Nutrition Programme (WBNP) :
** Under the Wheat Based Nutrition Programme (WBNP), food grains viz., wheat, rice and other coarse grains are allocated at Below Poverty Line (BPL) rates to the States/UTs through the Department of Food & Public Distribution (D/o Food & Public Distribution), for preparation of supplementary food in ICDS.
** The Ministry is responsible for processing and approval of the proposals from the States/UTs for allocation of food grains in coordination with the D/o F& PD.
** During 2014-15, allocation of 9,70,653 MTs of wheat; 7,10,406 MTs of rice and 12,075 MTs of maize was made to 31 States/UTs.
** An allocation of 4,74,782 MTs of Wheat, 4,40,534 MTs of Rice, 11,036 MTs of Maize and 9418 MTs of Ragi has been made to 30 States/UTs for the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2015-16.