Reaching Out to Mother and Child Through ICDS: Insights from a Field Study in Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Under-nutrition among women and children remains a major development challenge across India. It is recognized that several integrated interventions are necessary to deal with the problem of undernutrition. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme was aimed at improving maternal and child nutrition. A set of broadly agreed nutrition-specific interventions are delivered through network of anganwadi centres (AWCs) along with the continuum of care. Though well-conceived, ICDS has, in practice, given more attention to increasing coverage than to improving the quality of service delivery and to distributing food rather than changing family-based feeding and caring behaviour. This inertia is reflected in poor outcomes in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). This article seeks to evaluate the work delivered by ICDS in UP after assessing the allocation and expenditure. This study draws upon the findings of field survey in nine districts of UP conducted by the author recently. Overall, 90 anganwadi centres were covered to find out the kinds of constraints that arise in utilizing funds effectively under this programme. The study also analyses the secondary data to examine the implementation status of ICDS in the state.

Keywords

ICDS anganwadi centres supplementary nutrition preschool education pregnant and lactating women

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bezanson

& Isenman

(2009). Scaling up nutrition: A framework for action. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 31(1), 178–186.

Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20461915

FOCUS. (2006, December). Focus on children under six (FOCUS): Abridged Report. New Delhi: Citizens’ Initiative for the Rights of Children Under Six.

Jean

& Khera

(2014). A PEEP at another India: An evaluation of entitlement programs. Outlook, March.

Gillespie

Haddad

Mannar

Menon

& Nisbett

(2013). The politics of reducing malnutrition: Building commitment and accelerating progress. Lancet, 382(9891), 552–569.

GOI. (2011a). Evaluation study on integrated child development services (ICDS). Programme Evaluation Organisation, Vol 1, PEO Report No 218. New Delhi: Planning Commission, Government of India. Retrieved from, http://planningcommission.gov.in/reports/peoreport/peoevalu/peo_icds_v1.pdf

GOI. (2011b). Evaluation study on integrated child development services (ICDS). Programme Evaluation Organisation, Vol 2, PEO Report No 218. New Delhi: Planning Commission, Government of India. Retrieved from, http://planningcommission.gov.in/reports/peoreport/peoevalu/peo_icds_v2.pdf

Khera

(2015). Children’s development - Baby steps in Odisha. Economic and Political Weekly, 50(40), October 3.

Nayak

& Saxena

N. C.

(2006). Implementation of ICDS in Bihar and Jharkhand. Economic and Political Weekly, 41(34), 26 August–1 September, 3680–3684.

10.

PEEP (2013). Public Evaluation of Entitlement Programmes Survey. New Delhi: IIT. Retrieved from, http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/public-evaluation-of-entitlement-programmes-peep-survey-2013-by-iit-delhi-23685.html

11.

Planning Commission. (2012). Three decades of ICDS: An appraisal.

12.

PMPSU. (2009–2010). Impact assessment of ICDS in Madhya Pradesh submitted to poverty monitoring and policy support unit (PMPSU). Madhya Pradesh: State Planning Commission.