ICDS Survey in Jharkhand

• 08 Jul 2021

Why in News

According to a recent survey, more than 55% did not receive Supplementary Nutrition under Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in Jharkhand even once in the first six months of 2021.

Key Points

• Vulnerability of Jharkhand:
  
  • As per National Family Health Survey-4 data, every second child in the state is stunted and underweight and every third child is affected by stunting and every 10^th child is affected from severe wasting and around 70% children are anemic.
• ICDS:
  
  • About:
    
    • The Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It was launched in 1975.
  • Six Schemes under Umbrella ICDS:
    
    • Anganwadi Services Scheme:
      
      • It is a unique programme for early childhood care and development.
      • The beneficiaries under the Scheme are children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
      • It provides a package of six services namely supplementary nutrition, pre-school non-formal education, nutrition & health education, immunization, health check-up and referral services.
      • Supplementary Nutrition includes Take Home Ration (THR), Hot Cooked Meal and morning snacks and holds importance for many vulnerable households as it impacts the nutritional outcome of the children.
    • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana:
      
      • It provides cash incentive amounting to Rs.5,000/- in three installments directly to the Bank/Post Office Account of Pregnant Women and Lactating Mother (PW&LM) in DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) Mode during pregnancy and lactation in response to individual fulfilling specific conditions.
    • National Creche Scheme:
      
      • It provides day care facilities to children of age group of 6 months to 6 years of working women.
      • The facilities are provided for seven and half hours a day for 26 days in a month.
      • Children are provided with supplementary nutrition, early childcare education, and health and sleeping facilities.
    • Scheme for Adolescent Girls:
      
      • It aims at out of school girls in the age group 11-14, to empower and improve their social status through nutrition, life skills and home skills.
      • The scheme has nutritional and non nutritional components which include nutrition; iron and folic acid supplementation; health check up and referral service; nutrition and health education; mainstreaming out of school girls to join formal schooling bridge course/ skill training; life skill education, home management etc,; counselling/ guidance on accessing public services.
    • Child Protection Scheme:
      
      • It aims to contribute to the improvement and well-being of children in difficult circumstances, as well as, reduction of vulnerabilities to situations and actions that lead to abuse, neglect, exploitation, abandonment and separation of children from parents.
    • POSHAN Abhiyaan:
      
      • It targets to reduce the level of stunting, under-nutrition, anemia and low birth weight babies by reducing mal-nutrition/undernutrition, anemia among young children as also, focus on adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
• Objectives of ICDS:
  
  • To improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years.
  • To lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child.
  • To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout.
  • To achieve effective coordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development.
  • To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child.
  • To facilitate, educate and empower Adolescent Girls (AGs) so as to enable them to become self-reliant and aware citizens.

Other Similar Government Schemes

• National Health Mission (NHM):
  
  • Launched in 2013, it subsumed the National Rural Health Mission and the National Urban Health Mission.
  • It is being implemented by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
  • The main programmatic components include health system strengthening in rural and urban areas for - Reproductive-Maternal- Neonatal-Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A), and Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases.
• Mid Day Meal Scheme:
  
  • It was launched in 1995 as a centrally sponsored scheme.
  • It provides that every child within the age group of six to fourteen years studying in classes I to VIII who enrols and attends the school shall be provided with a hot cooked meal, free of charge every day except on school holidays.
  • It comes under the Education Ministry’s Department of School Education and Literacy.
• National Nutrition Strategy:
  
  • The Strategy aims to reduce all forms of undernutrition by 2030, with a focus on the most vulnerable and critical age groups.
  • It also aims to assist in achieving the targets identified as part of the Sustainable Development Goals related to nutrition and health.
  • It has been released by the NITI Aayog.

Source: IE