ICDS: Key directions in Supreme Court orders

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The following interim orders contain references to ICDS.

• Order of 22 April 2009:

  This is a judgement regarding revision of nutritional and financial norms under Supplementary Nutrition Component of the ICDS. A simplified note on this judgement, prepared by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability is available here.

• Order of 9 July 2007

  The backlog in operationalisation of sanctioned anganwadi centres has to be cleared immediately and the centres which have been sanctioned up to September 2006 must be made operational and functional by 15th July 2007. Those centres which have been sanctioned up to January 2007 must be made function by 30th September 2007.

• Order of 13 December 2006
  relevant extracts| key directions

  The order directs, amongst other things, that

  • Government of India shall sanction and operationalize a minimum of 14 lakh AWCs in a phased and even manner starting forthwith and ending December 2008. In doing so, the Central Government shall identify SC and ST hamlets/habitations for AWCs on a priority basis.
  • Government of India shall ensure that population norms for opening of AWCs must not be revised upward under any circumstances. While maintaining the upper limit of one AWC per 1000 population, the minimum limit for opening of a new AWC is a population of 300 may be kept in view. Further, 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.
  • The universalisation of the ICDS involves extending all ICDS services (Supplementary nutrition, growth monitoring, nutrition and health education, immunization, referral and pre-school education) to every child under the age of 6, all pregnant women and lactating mothers and all adolescent girls.

  The order holds the Chief Secretaries of the different States and Union Territories responsible for the proper implementation of the ICDS.

• Order of 7 October 2004

  Contractors should not be used in providing supplementary nutrition to ICDS. Village communities, Mahila Mandals and Self-help groups should be given the preference for preparing the food to be served in ICDS. (In the process of providing anganwadi in each settlement) effort should be taken cover all SC/ST habitations at the earliest. BPL criterion should not be used as an eligibility condition for a child to use anganwadi. While Government of India should ensure that funds are allotted on time, States should ensure that these are fully used so that there is no disruption in the provision of supplementary nutrition.

• Order of 29 April 2004

  All sanctioned anganwadis to be made fully operational immediately and supplementary nutrition to be served for a minimum of 300 days. Other issues discussed include number of anganwadis required to provide one anganwadi in each settlement, and providing reasonable finances for supplementary nutrition.

• The ICDS is also discussed in the interim order of 27 April 2004, and an interim order of 17 August 2004.

• Order of 28 November 2001

  An anganwadi must be provided in each settlement and every child under six, adolescent girl, pregnant woman and lactating woman is entitled to supplementary nutrition under ICDS as per prescribed norms.

Last updated: 5 February 2010