Plan panel revamping child welfare scheme

The Planning Commission is in the final stages of completely revamping the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme as it has failed to substantially reduce child malnutrition in the country.

Among the major changes, the Plan panel is contemplating increasing the calorie level of anganwari meals to 500 calories from 300 calories at present. It also proposes to do away with middle-men and directly provide the funds to village health committees to ensure more efficient spending.

The Planning Commission is also working on ensuring synergies between various government programmes and schemes to deal with the problem of malnutrition for children below three years of age.

"We are engaged in a major exercise with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and experts like Jean Dreze and NC Saxena, among others, to restructure the ICDS programme," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told Business Standard.

"The maximum development of a child occurs from birth to the age of three years. However, a major portion of funds (allocated to the scheme) are spent on anganwaris catering to children between three to six years of age. The focus has to change now," Ahluwalia added.

The allocation of funds for the ICDS stood at Rs 11,684 crore in the Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007). For the terminal year of the Plan (2006-07), the allocation was Rs 4,543 crore and for the first year of the current Eleventh Plan (2007-08), the allocation is pegged at Rs 5,293 crore.

"We will announce a paradigm change in the scheme within a month's time. We want to put in place a systemic change, so that whichever government comes they cannot derail it," said Syeda Hameed, member, Planning Commission.

"Our focus will be on 6 month to 3 years when the child is not able to grab anything by itself. We are putting in a lot of effort towards this and will work with other agencies like the department of rural development," Hameed added.