After 50 years, Child Welfare Programme set for makeover

Synopsis

The government plans to revamp the five-decade-old Integrated Child Development Services programme by upgrading Anganwadi centres, strengthening nutrition delivery and empowering frontline workers. The proposed changes also include better remuneration and social security coverage for Anganwadi workers.

New Delhi: The government plans to revamp its flagship child welfare programme more than five decades after its launch, seeking to upgrade Anganwadi centres, strengthen nutrition services and give frontline workers greater powers to tackle malnutrition and improve the health of children and women.

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), launched in 1975, could see minimum infrastructure standards introduced across Anganwadi centres, along with tighter checks on food supplies and more regular deliveries, a senior government official told ET.

Niti Aayog member M Srinivas recently chaired a high-level meeting with senior government officials, academics, international organisations and civil society representatives to discuss ways to strengthen the programme, with an emphasis on outcomes and the government's long-term vision of a healthy and Viksit Bharat.

The plan is to transform Anganwadi centres into integrated hubs for early childhood care and women-led development by scaling up infrastructure and leveraging technology to provide comprehensive services to children and mothers.

ICDS is a flagship government programme aimed at improving the health, nutrition and development of children under six, pregnant women and lactating mothers. It operates through Anganwadi centres and provides beneficiaries with a package of services, including nutrition, education and health check-ups.

Despite its wide reach, the programme continues to face poor infrastructure, low remuneration for Anganwadi workers, irregular food supplies and high rates of child malnutrition.

Anganwadi workers (AWWs) are community-based voluntary frontline workers under the ICDS programme. The government is considering a long-pending demand to classify them as unorganised workers and bring them under social security schemes while also increasing their monthly remuneration to make the work more attractive.