NEW DELHI: The Government has expanded the Integrated Child Development Services scheme to cover all community development blocks and major urban slums.

The expansion will fulfil its commitment under the national common minimum programme and comply with the Supreme Court's directive that the number of anganwadi centres be increased.

Additional expenditure

According to an official spokesperson, 467 additional ICDS projects and 1,88,168 anganwadi centres have been sanctioned. With this expansion, involving an additional expenditure of over Rs. 476 crores annually, the number of projects and anganwadi centres has increased to 6,119 and 9.43 lakhs. All new centres will be made functional by March 31, 2006.

At present the scheme covers 393.58 lakh children and 80.61 lakh pregnant/lactating women. With the expansion, about 105 lakh more children and about more 24 lakh pregnant/lactating women are likely to be benefited.

The expansion will lead to employment of 3.65 lakh women as anganwadi workers and helpers as ``honorary'' community workers at the grass roots.

It will create about 10,000 additional regular jobs under the State Governments.

The Kishori Shakti Yojana, which aims at breaking the inter-generational life cycle of nutritional and gender disadvantage and providing a supportive environment for self-development to girls in the age group 11-18, has also been extended to all 6,119 ICDS projects. The scheme is estimated to cost Rs. 67.31 crores a year.

The Government has made a provision of Rs. 1,500 crores in the 2005-06 budget for supplementary nutrition, which was hitherto the responsibility of the States/Union Territories.

The total allocation increased from Rs. 2,155.60 crores in 2004-05 to Rs. 3,685.30 crores for 2005-06.

For vulnerable groups

The ICDS aims to improve the nutritional and health status of pre-school children, pregnant women and nursing mothers by providing supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check-up, referral services, pre-school education and nutrition and health education.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail