HYDERABAD: In providing packaged services to children through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the State fulfills its Constitutional obligations to around 200 million children in the age group of 0-6. But, in spite of its stated objectives, the ICDS, launched in 1975, has failed in producing tangible results.
In his book - The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS): A Flagship Adrift - former IAS officer KR Venugopal suggests a way forward.
The objectives of the ICDS are pretty clear - laying foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child, reducing the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school drop-outs, achieving coordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments and enhancing the capability of the mother to look after the nutritional needs of the child.
Based on the social audit conducted in Anantapur district in 2012, Venugopal’s book explores the problems that have impeded the ambitious ICDS. Here are some of them:
Inadequate Enrolment
Failure to raise awareness among the target group by ICDS functionaries has resulted in several children in 0-6 years age group, expectant and nursing mothers being left out from the services. One of the primary reasons for the same is the lethargy of anganwadi workers in conducting periodical house-to-house survey. In rural areas, the most disconcerting fact is non-SC women’s unwillingness to enrol themselves in the anganwadi centre located in SC areas.
Supplementary Nutrition
There is ‘nutrition-interruption’ - against the prescribed norm that beneficiaries should be provided with supplementary nutrition for 300 days a year. On several occasions, the government failed to supply the food material to anganwadi centres in time. In some cases, the centrally-supplied ready-to-cook mixes had few takers owing to its sticky nature.
No Coordination
The lack of coordination among the health and, women and child welfare departments has always been a major concern. For instance, in the immunisation programme, one of the key features of the ICDS, it is observed that there was no convergence of efforts between health personnel and anganwadi workers.
Education Neglected
As against the objective of universalising primary education, the education component of the scheme remained almost undelivered. Among the host of reasons for children not attending pre-school are ill-health, interruption in supplementary nutrition.
Raw deal
Anganwadi workers are key to the successful implementation of ICDS. From enlisting children, pregnant women and nursing mothers, they are responsible for preparing and distributing supplementary nutrition. g. However, due to dismally inadequate facilities at the anganwadi centres, these volunteers are often de-motivated.