The flagship Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), which aims to provide nutritious food to children aged 0-6, is being revamped and may be standardised to address the issue of “high” malnutrition.

As per the Global Nutrition Report, 39 per cent of children (0-5 years) in India are stunted, much higher than the global average of 24 per cent.

Tackling malnutrition

The Women & Child Development Ministry is “looking at further standardising the supplementary nutrition so that hygienic, nutritious and locally acceptable food is given to the children and mothers through a standardised process of manufacturing and distribution. This is warranted as the current systems of ad hoc procurement have not succeeded in reducing malnutrition”, Minister Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said at a National Conference of State Principal Secretaries/Secretaries in charge of Women & Child Development here on Wednesday.

The Ministry is also making efforts to get the “cost norms increased from the current levels so that better food can be provided to the beneficiaries”, she said, adding that the “complete revamp of ICDS” was being done in a convergence mode with NITI Aayog, the Ministries of Health and Education and other stakeholders.

Anganwadis digitisation

“Digitisation of anganwadis is being taken up and both hardware and software are being provided for real time monitoring of every child and every pregnant and lactating mother. Anganwadi workers will be given smartphones and the supervisors will be given Tablets for which the State government should provide training to anganwadi workers to help shift to the new IT-based system,” said a Ministry statement. 

The meeting was called by the WCD Ministry to review the ICDS and other schemes related to women, child care and child protection.

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