THE MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF
WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI RENUKA CHOWDHURY)
(a),(b),(c),(d),(e)&(f) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART
(a),(b),(c),(d),(e)&(f) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 38
FOR 27.2.2007 BY SHRI SWADESH CHAKRABORTTY AND SHRI IQBAL
AHMED SARADGI REGARDING IMPLEMENATION OF ICDS SCHEME
(a) The National Level data on malnourishment among children
is compiled through the National Family Health Survey
(NFHS). The percentage of underweight children in the age
group of 0-3 years, as per NFHS 3 data, is 46%. The data
available from NFHS 3 (2005-06) on state-wise distribution
of malnourished children,upto three years, for 29 States, in
which survey was conducted, is at Annexure-1.
(b)&(c) The report titled ‘ Helpless and Starving’ as
published in the paper mentions that African children are
better placed in comparison to Indian children in respect of
nutrition care. However, the report does not contain any
comparative data vis a vis African children. In India,
though 46% children are underweight as per NFHS 3, while
being underweight for their age, they look normal. The high
prevalence of malnutrition among the children has been
engaging the attention of the Government. Malnutrition is a
multi-faceted problem, the determinants of which vary from
female illiteracy, age of girls at marriage and the first
child birth, household food security, poor access to health
care, immunization, safe drinking water, sanitation and
other social services. The Government is seized of the
problem and is implementing a number of schemes to improve
the nutritional status of children.
(d) A statement indicating number of sanctioned and
operational ICDS Projects and Anganwadi Centres in the
country is attached at Annexure II
(e) A statement indicating details of funds allocated and
utilized during the Tenth Five Year Plan period, State-wise
is attached at Annexure III a, III b, III c, III d and III e.
(f): The steps taken in the recent past to increase the
effectiveness of the delivery of services under ICDS are:
(i) Expansion of the ICDS Scheme to 466 ICDS Projects and
1.88 lakh AWCs under 1st Phase of expansion.
(ii) Further expansion of ICDS Scheme to 173 Projects,
107274 AWCs and 25961 Mini-AWCs under 2nd Phase of
expansion.
(iii) Operationalization of sanctioned
Projects/Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).
(iv) Doubling of financial norms for supplementary nutrition
from Re.1/- to Rs.2/- per beneficiary per day.
(v) Sharing of 50% cost of supplementary nutrition with the
States/UTs.
(vi) Constant emphasis on States/UTs to: (a) Ensure regular
supply of supplementary nutrition as per schematic norms and
(b) Ensure delivery of other services viz. immunization,
health check-up, referral services, nutrition & health
education and pre-primary education through effective
convergence with the Schemes/Programmes of Ministry of
Health, Education and Rural Development (Drinking Water
Supply).
(vii) To strengthen the existing monitoring &
supervision mechanism for ICDS Scheme, the Government of
India has approved setting up of a Central Monitoring Unit
(CMU) at National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child
Development (NIPCCD), which would monitor the Scheme through
independent professional organization/institution in each
state/UT. This would be in addition to the monitoring
mechanism in place at present.
(viii) A National level Monitoring Committee has been set
up under the Chairpersonship of MOS(WCD) to oversee the
entire functioning of ICDS Scheme and to ensure that the
services are delivered to the target groups in an effective
manner and the objectives of the scheme are fulfilled within
the overall framework of the ICDS Scheme.
As a result of the measures mentioned above, number of
operational Projects and AWCs has gone up from 4608 and 5.45
lakh as on 31.3.2002 to 5724 and 7.81 lakh respectively as
on 30.9.2006. Number of beneficiaries of supplementary
nutrition has also gone up from 375.09 lakh to 654.65 lakh
during the same period.
