Integrated child development services in India

Abstract

At just under 130 million, the under-5 population in India is over seven times greater than that of the European Union. Although families continue to be the main or only providers for this enormous group, public services in India do manage to provide ru dimentary health, social and educational services for many of these children. The Government of India's Integrated Child Development Services or ICDS is probably the largest scheme in the world for pre-school children, reaching 18.6 million children and 2.7 million mothers (Muralidharan & Kaul 1993), that is, approximately the total of under-5 children in the United States. Despites its weaknesses, it is has contribu ted significantly to reducing infant mortality, improving the health and nutritional status of the children who benefit from its services. For a relatively poor country, this is a significant achievement and compares well with the early childhood provi sion available in comparably disadvantaged areas of the industrialised world.