MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI KRISHNA TIRATH)
(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a),(b),(c),(d)&fe) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 106 for 30.11.2012
by Dr. P. Venuqopal and Shri Rao Saheb Danve Patil regarding Restructure of ICDS Scheme
(a): The State/UT-wise number of beneficiaries (children 6 months - 6 years and pregnant & lactating mothers
under ICDS Programme, as on 30.9.2012, is given in the statement at Annex-I.
(b): The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme was universalized in 2008-09 preceded by rapid expansion in the years 2005-06, 2007-08 and 2008-09, so as to cover all habitations, including SC/ST and Minority, across the country with the approval of 7076 ICDS Projects and 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres. Against 7076 sanctioned ICDS Projects and 13.70 lakh sanctioned Anganwadi Centres, there are 7005 operational ICDS Projects and 13.19 lakh operationaj Anganwdi Centres, throughout the country, as on 30.9.2012.
In order to address various programmatic, management and institutional gaps and to meet administrative and operational challenges that had crept the ICDS over the years, Government approved the proposal for Strengthening and Restructuring
of ICDS Scheme with an over-all budget allocation of Rs. 1,23,580 crore during 12th Five Year Plan. The Administrative Approvals in this regard have since been issued to the States/UTs.
Restructured and Strengthened ICDS will be rolled out in all the Districts in three years as per following details:
(i) In 200 high burden districts in the first year (2012-13);
(ii) In additional 200 districts in second year (2013-14) (i.e. w.e.f. 1.4.2013) including districts from special category States and NER;
(iii) In remaining districts in third year (2014-15) (i.e. w.e.f, 1.4.2014).
The key features of Strengthened and Restructured ICDS inter-alia include addressing the gaps and challenges with (a) special focus on children under 3 years and pregnant and lactating mothers (b) strengthening and repackaging
of services including, care and nutrition counseling services and care of severely underweight children (c) a
provision for an additional Anganwadi Worker cum Nutrition Counselor for focus on children under 3 years of age
and to improve the family contact, care and nutrition counseling for P&L Mothers in the selected 200 high-burden
districts across the country, besides having provision of link worker, 5% creche cum Anganwadi centre (d) focus
on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) (e) forging strong institutional and programmatic convergence particularly,
at the district, block and village levels (f) models providing flexibility at local levels for community participation
(g) introduction of APIP (h) improving Supplementary Nutrition Programme including cost revision,(i) provision for construction and improvement of buildings of Anganwadi centres (j) allocating adequate financial resources for other components including Monitoring and Management and Information System(MIS), Training and use of Information and
communication technology (ICT), (k) to put ICDS in a mission mode etc. and (I) revision of financial norms etc.
(c) &,(d): The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme is a Centrally`` sponsored Scheme implemented by States/UTs across the country. The responsibility for providing supplementary nutrition and management thereon rests
with States/UTs. The complaints received in respect of deficiency in providing SNP under ICDS Scheme are forwarded to concerned States/UTs for taking appropriate action. Complaints which are serious in nature, report from State Govemments
/UT Administrations is sought. During the last three years and the current year, complaints regarding SNP and unhygienic conditions were received from the States of UP (25), Rajasthan (6), Bihar (3), Maharashtra (3), Chhattigarh (2), Delhi (2), Haryana (2), Jharkhand (2), Madhya Pradesh (2), Orissa (2), Assam (2), Nagaland (1), Karnataka (1) and Uttarakhand (1). Details are given in the Statement at Annex-II.
(e): The complaints of such irregularities are forwarded to the concerned State Governments for remedial action. During review meetings, the States/UTs are also requested for improving all services under ICDS Scheme including Supplementary
Nutrition Programme. The Government of India has also introduced five tier monitoring and supervision mechanism at National, State, District, Block and Anganwadi level and issued guidelines on 31.3.2011 for better implementation of the ICDS Scheme including SNP.
Whenever any shortcomings are noticed during the course of visits to the States, they are addressed through
letters and review meetings to remove the deficiencies and to improve the implementation of the Scheme.
Strengthening and Restructuring of ICDS is also a step in this direction for improving the delivery system of SNP.
