Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a sharp dig at the government on Thursday, marking the 50th anniversary of India’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme. Launched by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 2, 1975, the program aimed to boost child nutrition, health, and early education. But Ramesh says it has fallen short of its goals despite several name changes.
In a post on X, Ramesh, who handles communications for the Congress party, pointed out that the ICDS now falls under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0. “Unfortunately, the governance of the scheme has not kept pace with the name change,” he wrote, calling out what he sees as a failure to deliver real progress.
Still, Ramesh praised the program’s reach. Today, India runs about 1.4 million Anganwadi centers that serve more than 76.5 million children with essential services like early childhood education, health checkups, and nutrition support. “Over the decades, the ICDS has been critical to the tremendous improvement in our human development indicators,” he noted. It’s one of the world’s largest child welfare programs, helping families across the country.
Ramesh also highlighted key fixes suggested by a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Women and Child Development, chaired by Congress leader Digvijay Singh. These ideas made it into the party’s Nyay Patra manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Here’s what they propose to strengthen Anganwadi services and child development:
– Double the wages for Anganwadi workers and helpers to better support their vital role in child nutrition and care.
– Add one more worker to each center, dedicated solely to early childhood education.
– Boost funding for ICDS, including updated cost norms for services—something promised in this year’s budget but still not delivered.
– Expand services to offer day-care and creche facilities for children over six months old.
– Increase the number of Anganwadis based on India’s projected 2025 population, not outdated 2011 census data.
– Switch to hot cooked meals for all eligible kids, replacing take-home rations to improve access to fresh, nutritious food.
Ramesh’s comments come amid ongoing debates about child welfare in India, urging stronger action to make schemes like ICDS work better for millions of families.
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