Faced with an immense task of tackling malnutrition among women and children across the nation, the Government of India is implementing the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to improve the nutritional and health status of children.
Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury said the overall purpose of introducing ICDS scheme was to reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition, and school dropouts. She was responding to the query of Opposition leaders in the Lok Sabha on the development of the ICDS scheme on Friday.
The scheme facilitated the Centre working in assistance with the State government in laying foundation for proper psychological, physical, and social development of the child throughout the country. However she said the desired goal of eradicating malnutrition would not have been possible without the support of State government, which helped in achieving effective coordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development.
The health of the newly born child till their dependency on mother for breast-feeding is closely linked with the mother’s health. If mother is healthy, the child will be healthy.
So the ICDS has been constantly trying 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.
Malnutrition is a multi-faceted problem, which requires a series of actions in the area of food security, safe drinking water, sanitation, health care, family welfare, nutrition, and poverty alleviation.
Chowdhury further outlined the various programmes, which is being taken into account under the scheme such as additional nutrition, immunization, health check-up, referral services, pre-school non-formal education, and nutrition and health education.
She said that the government has doubled the financial norms for supplementary nutrition from Re. 1 to Rs. 2 per beneficiary for each day.
Her ministry has also been in regular touch to the State Government to ensure whether regular supply of supplementary nutrition as per schematic norms is being provided to the children, she said.
To augment the effectiveness of the delivery of services under ICDS the States government have been implementing the convergence of health, nutrition, education, and safe drinking water services under various programmes.
Nutrition awareness campaign at the regular interval of time have been organising by the State governments.
The scheme had been expanded twice in the year 2005-06 and 2006-07 during the Tenth Five Year Plan.
The year 2005-06 onwards 50% cost of supplementary nutrition is also being shared with the States/Union Territories.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi launched ''Bal-Bhog'' scheme last year with the aim of checking malnutrition among children.
Under the scheme, nutritious food is being made available to poor children to benefit about 10 lakh children in the age group of six months to three years.
The scheme is also covering expecting mothers and adolescent girls.
Almost every states under various names is implementing the Central government’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to improve the nutritional and health status of children.
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