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Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS): Introduction
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is the only major national
programme that addresses the health and nutrition needs of children under
the age of six. It seeks to provide young children with an integrated
package of services, including supplementary nutrition, health care and
pre-school education. Since the needs of a young child cannot be addressed
in isolation from those of his or her mother, the programme also extends
to adolescent girls, pregnant women and nursing mothers. ICDS services
are provided through a vast network of ICDS centres, better known as "Anganwadis".
This section of the website presents a range of action-oriented documents
on ICDS, including a reader-friendly "primer", the "FOCUS report" on children
under six, Supreme Court orders, extracts from Commissioners' reports,
government documents, research articles, survey findings, and much more.
The following may be particularly useful as introductory documents:
- Strategies
for Children Under Six: A framework for the 11th plan (June 2007):
A note prepared at the request of the Planning Commission presenting
a policy framework for children under six in the 11th plan, covering
not only the ICDS but also related interventions such as creches and
maternity entitlements. The report was co-authored by Arun Gupta, Biraj
Patnaik, Devika Singh, Dipa Sinha, Jean Drèze, Radha Holla, Samir
Garg, T. Sundaram, Vandana Prasad and Veena Shatrugna.
- Anganwadis For All
: A Primer (December 2007): A reader-friendly primer prepared by
Citizens' Initiative for the Rights of Children Under Six on behalf
of the secretariat of the Right to Food campaign. (Hindi)
- Focus
on Children Under Six (FOCUS report, December 2006): An action-oriented
report on the wellbeing and rights of Indian children under the age
of six years, also prepared by Citizens' Initiative for the Rights of
Children Under Six. The report argues that child care is a social responsibility,
and makes a case for universal child development services. It draws
upon a detailed survey of the ICDS in six states: Chhattisgarh, Himachal
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. The findings
show that ICDS can make a big difference to the lives of children, provided
that this programme receives the attention and support it deserves.(Hindi)
[abstract|
handout]
- Universalization with Quality:
An Agenda for ICDS: proceedings of a workshop held at the National
Academy of Administration in Mussoorie in November 2004, published in
Economic and Political Weekly on 26 August 2006.
- Convention on "Children's
Right to Food" (Hyderabad, 7-9 April 2006): A follow-up to the second
National Convention on the Right to Food and Work, held in Kolkata on
18-20 November 2005. The main focus of the convention was on the Integrated
Child Development Services (ICDS), mid-day meals and related means of
protecting children's right to food, including maternity entitlements.
- Supreme Court orders on
ICDS: interim orders issued by the Supreme Court in the "Right to
Food" case, and also the landmark judgement of 13 December 2006, which
directs the government to universalize ICDS by December 2008.
The Supreme Court order of 13 December 2006 states that "Rural communities
and slum dwellers should be entitled to an "Anganwadi on demand” (not
later than three months) from the date of demand in cases where a settlement
has at least 40 children under six but no Anganwadi". See the sample application
form for Anganwadi Centres on demand [Hindi].
Last updated: 23 February 2008
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