Introduction:

Children are the future of a nation. Recognizing the importance of children as a vital human resource, the Constitution of India, Directive Principles of State Policy and the National Policy for Children have addressed the need for ensuring holistic development of the child.

As per 2001 census, Haryana has around 3.26 million children, constituting 15.46% of Haryana’s population, who are below the age of 6 years. A large number of them live in economic and social environment which impede the child's physical and mental development. These conditions include poverty, poor environmental sanitation, disease, infection, inadequate access to primary health care, inappropriate child caring and feeding practices. Government of India proclaimed a National Policy on Children in August 1974 declaring children as, "supremely important asset". The policy provided the required framework for assigning priority to different needs of the child.

  INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES SCHEME 
(ICDS)

The programme of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) was launched on October 2, 1975 in 33 blocks in the country on an experimental basis to commemorate the 106th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi seeking to provide an integrated package of services in a convergent manner for the holistic development of the child. In Haryana, ICDS was launched in Kathura block of Sonepat district at first.

ICDS symbolizes the country's commitment to its children.

ICDS promotes child survival and development through an integrated approach for converging basic services for improved child care, early stimulation and learning, improved enrolment and retention, health and nutrition, and water and environmental sanitation.

Integrated and inter-sectoral nature, coordination mechanism, community involvement, training infrastructure and monitoring system make ICDS a unique programme.

ICDS has the potential to achieve the major national nutrition, health and educational goals of the National Plan of Action for Children.

ICDS provides increased opportunities for according children their rights.

ICDS through its advocacy and social mobilization components aims to empower the community using communication channels and media as tools for development.

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme was conceived with an integrated delivery package of early childhood services so that their synergistic effect can be taken full advantage of . The Scheme aims to improve the nutritional and health status of vulnerable groups including pre-school children, pregnant women and nursing mothers through providing a package of services including supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, immunization, health check up, referral services and nutrition and health education.

In addition, the Scheme envisages effective convergence of inter-sectoral services in the Anganwadi Centres.

Objectives:

The objectives of the scheme are :

To improve the nutritional and Health status of pre-school children in the age- group of 0-6
    years; 

To lay the foundation of proper psychological development of the child;

To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school drop-out;

To achieve effective coordination of policy and implementation amongst the various
    departments  to  promote child development; and

To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional 
    needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.

Package of Services :

To achieve the above objectives, the ICDS aims at providing a package of services, consisting of  Supplementary nutrition; Immunization; Health Check-up; Referral Services; Non-formal Pre-school education; and Nutrition & Health Education.

:: ICDS Services ::

1. HEALTH:

i) Immunization:-

Immunization of pregnant women and infants protects children from six vaccine preventable diseases-poliomyelitis, diphtheria , pertussis, tetanus, tuberculosis and measles. These are major preventable causes of child mortality, disability, morbidity and related mal-nutrition. Immunization of pregnant women against tetanus also reduces maternal mortality.

PHC and its subordinate health infrastructure carry out immunization of infants and expectant mothers as per the national immunization schedule. The Anganwadi Worker assists the health functionaries in coverage of the target population for immunization.

                                   DAY OF IMMUNIZATION : Wednesday 

ii) Health Check up:-

Multi-Purpose Health Workers (Female) and Lady Health Visitors, Health Supervisors (Female) pay regular visits to the Anganwadi Centres, where ante-natal care of expecting mothers, postnatal care of nursing mothers and health needs of the children upto 6 years of age are attended to.
Medical Officers of the area also carry out health check up of children and mothers periodically.

iii) Referral Services:-

During health check-ups and growth monitoring, sick or malnourished children, in need of prompt medical attention are provided referral services through ICDS.

iv) Treatment of Minor Illnesses:-

Multipurpose Health Workers (Female)/ Health Supervisors (Female) also diagnose minor ailments and distribute simple medicines in Anganwadi Centres. Each Anganwadi Worker has a small medicine kit with basic medicines for common ailments like fever, cold, cough, diarrhoea, worms, skin and eye infections that she dispenses as and when required.

2. NUTRITION:

This includes supplementary nutrition, growth monitoring and promotion , nutrition and health education and prophylaxis against Vitamin-A deficiency and control of nutritional anaemia .

i) Supplementary Nutrition:-

       ::: Targeted Beneficiaries :::

The Scheme targets the most vulnerable groups of population including children upto 6 years of age, pregnant women and nursing mothers belonging to poorest of the poor families and living in disadvantaged areas including backward rural areas, tribal areas and urban slums. The identification of beneficiaries is done through surveying the community as per guidelines laid down by GOI vide letter No.F.I-22/89-CD dated 11th January,1990.

       ::: Rates of providing supplementary nutrition :::

 The supplementary nutrition is given for 300 days in a year except Sundays and other 14 Gazetted holidays.

    

         ::: Supplementary Nutrition through Women SHGs :::

       In a major initiative to empower women in villages and generate employment for them,
the Haryana Govt. has dispensed with centralized system of procuring food items under Supplementary Nutrition for the beneficiaries of ICDS and entrusted the responsibility of preparation of food items to Women Self Groups/ Mother's Groups w.e.f. 1-1-2007 under the supervision of the Gram Panchayat through Sub Committees set up for the development of women and children. 
                                 
                The women self-help groups receive funds in advance for procuring raw material and preparing food items in accordance with recipes menu and supply schedules so that their activities are not hampered for want of funds. The scheme is expected to generate employment for about 75,000 women. It is mandatory for the sub committees to involve mothers in the process and regularly record their feedback in a register titled "Ma Ki Rae".



Criteria For Selection of Beneficiaries for Supplementary Nutrition          Download

ii) Prophylaxis Programme:-

National prophylaxis programme for prevention of blindness caused by Vitamin-A deficiency and control of nutritional anaemia among mothers and children are two direct nutrition interventions integrated in ICDS. The usage of iodised salt is promoted.

iii) Growth monitoring and promotion:-

  Growth monitoring and nutrition surveillance are two important activities, that are in operation at the Anganwadi Level in ICDS. Both are important for assessing the impact of health and nutrition related services.

Children below the age of 3 years are weighed once a month and children 3-6 years of age are weighed quarterly. Weight for age growth Cards are maintained for all children below six years. This helps to detect both growth faltering and also in assessing nutritional status.

   ::TWO FOLD NUTRITIONAL STRATEGY ::

Malnutrition among children is matter of serious concern.  Despite of initiatives/strategy and scheme still the percentage of malnourished children is quite high in Haryana which is considered food basket of the country.  Involvement of community in growth monitoring would be of great help to bring down the number of malnourished children in the State.  Therefore, to improve the nutritional status of children in Haryana, there is a need to adopt two folds approach: 

 Firstly, community participation in growth monitoring process at village level and dissemination of key messages to mothers and secondly, a focused approach  of adoption of families of malnourished children by the ICDS functionaries.   Keeping in view the above, the two fold intervention to be followed are:

(a) Nutritional Strategy to improve Nutritional Status of malnourished children. (First Fold)

(b) Growth monitoring through community Participation (Second Fold)

    FIRST FOLD NUTRITIONAL STRATEGY                       Download Details
       
     
 A family focused approach for improving the nutritional status of children started from January,2003. Each AWW adopts children of 4 families having worst nutritional status for 3 months i.e. severely malnourished children being converted first. Apart from supplementary nutrition and growth monitoring comprehensive information and knowledge about child care, nutrition and health and diet charts are provided to adopted family. 

    SECOND FOLD NUTRITIONAL STRATEGY                  Download Details

To  involve the community in growth monitoring and to have sense of community ownership of ICDS programme, VLCs and SMS have been involved in assessment and monitoring of nutritional status of children at village level from September,2007 


iv) Nutrition and Health Education:-

Nutrition and Health Education is a key element of capacity building of women in the age group of 15-45 years so that, they can look after their own health, nutrition and development needs as well as that of their children and families. NHED comprises basic health, nutrition and development information related to child care and development infant feeding practices, utilization of health services, family planning and environmental sanitation. Anganwadi Workers use fix days of immunization, mothers meeting, growth monitoring days, home visits, local festivals/gatherings, days/ weeks like National Nutrition Week and Breast Feeding Week , health and developmental education.

  Strenthening and Nutrition on Health Education             Download Details

  12 specific themes for the year have been identified for providing Nutrition and Health Education to the community on which the CDPOs brief the AWWs every month.Supervisors/AWWs further disseminate the information on the specific theme not only to pregnant and lactating mothers but also to all the other women, SHG members, adolescent girls through Balika Mandals, during home visits, on immunization days etc. in the 1st and 3rd week of the month. During the 4th week of the month, Supervisors/AWWs conduct nutrition quiz on theme of the month. 

3. Early Childhood Care and Non-Formal Pre-School Education:

The early childhood care and pre-school education component of ICDS scheme is considered the backbone of the ICDS programme. The early childhood pre-school programme aims at providing a learning environment for promotion of social, emotional, cognitive, physical and aesthetic development of the child. Non-formal Pre-school education is provided to 3-6 years children in play way methods for preparing them for formal/ primary schooling.

        ::: Focal Point for Delivery of ICDS services - Anganwadi :::

The programme provides an integrated approach for converging basic services through community-based Anganwadi Workers and helpers, supportive community structures/women's group -through the Anganwadi Centre, the health system and in the community. Besides this, the AW is a meeting ground where women's/mother's group can come together, with other frontline workers, to promote awareness and joint action for child development and women's empowerment.

The population coverage through the Anganwadi Worker is approximately 1000 in rural and urban areas.

:: RURAL PROJECT ::

    (1,00,000 population; 100 village )

ICDS TEAM:

The ICDS team comprises the Anganwadi Helpers/Anganwadi Workers, Supervisors and the Child Development Project Officers.

The Medical Officers (MOs), the Lady Health Visitors and Multipurpose Health Workers (Females) form a team with Women and Child Development Department functionaries to implement ICDS.

The Anganwadi Worker is a community based, frontline voluntary worker of the ICDS programme selected from the community. She is assisted by an Helper in conducting activities. The Supervisor is responsible for 17-25 Anganwadis, depending upon the nature of the project. The Child Development Project Officer is overall in charge at the block level and provides the link between ICDS functionaries and the Government administration.

Committees formed for Supervision, Co-ordination and Monitoring

• Mothers Committee at the Anganwadi Level

• Village Level Sub Committee of Panchayat

• Sub-Divisional level Co-ordination Committee

• District Level Co-ordination Committee

• State Level Co-ordination Committee

             COMMITTEES :

Mothers Committee at the Anganwadi Level

• Village level Co-ordination Committee/VLC

• Sub-divisional level Co-ordination Committee

• District Level Co-ordination Committee

• State Level Co-ordination Committee

• Grievence Redressal Committee for Anganwadi workers and Helpers

             To redress the grievances of Anganwadi Worker and Anganwadi Helpers, the grievances redressal committee for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers had been constituted vide letter No. 24467-658/CD-I/WCD/2000, dated 23.10.2000 comprising of the following:-

      1.      Concerned Additional Deputy Commissioner                  Chairperson
      2.      Senior women member of the Zila Parishad                   Member
      3.      Concerned Programme Officer                                    Member Secretary
      4.      All Concerned CDPOs                                                 Members
      5.      One representative of Anganwadi Workers                   Member
               from each block
      6.      One representative of Helpers from each block             Member

               The committee will meet quarterly to solve/dispose of the problems of Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers.

      
             ROLE OF PANCHAYATIRAJ :


    

In pursuance to the 73rd Constitutional Amendment and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Union Govt. in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and State Govt. on 22nd August, 2005, the following functions and powers have been transferred to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in order to ensure decentralization and effective delivery of the services being provided by the Women & Child Development Department, Haryana. The functions assigned to the Gram Panchayat shall be discharged through the Sub Committee constituted for the development of women and children under Section 22(1)(ii) of the Panchayati Raj Act as notified by the Director, Development & Panchayat vide their letter No. PRA/2006/56437-616, dated 6th November, 2006. 


POWERS TO PRIs                                                              Download                          

 
Child Development Project Officer will send progress report and review note to the respective Panchayat Samiti/ Zila Parishad every month and Programme Officer will present detailed data including  targets and achievements before the Zila Parishad. The Block Samiti will endorse its observations/remarks to the Programme Officer, if any, on the programmes which will be sent to the Zila Parishad by the Programme Officer by including it in the review note for information and proper management.  After evaluation , the Zila Parishad will send its observation/remarks to the Department for necessary action.

  ICDS EXPANSION AND UNIVERSALISATION:


Centrally Sponsored Integrated Child Development Services Scheme has been expanded and as a step towards universalization of ICDS, the total number of sanctioned ICDS projects in the state has risen from 116 to 137 having 17444 Anganwadi Centres, including 252 Mini AWCs . Now all the rural blocks and 18 urban ICDS Projects have been covered under ICDS Scheme.The details of sanctioned ICDS Projects, Anganwadi Centers and Mini Anganwadi Centres is as under:



Sr. No.	Name of District	Name of the ICDS Project	Nature of Project (Rural/    Urban)	Total No. of AWCs	Total No. of Mini AWCs
1	Ambala	Ambala(U)	U	88	0
		Barara	R	128	1
		Naraingarh	R	119	8
		Ambala (R-I)	R	148	21
		Saha	R	96	1
		Ambala-II	R	123	3
		Shazadpur	R	92	3
		Total:-		794	37
2	Jind	Julana	R	120	0
		Narwana (R-I)	R	229	1
		Saffindon	R	136	0
		Uchana	R	172	0
		Jind ®	R	176	3
		Jind U	U	57	0
		Alewa	R	83	0
		Pillukhera	R	81	0
		Total:-		1054	4
3	Bhiwani	Badhara	R	140	0
		Bhiwani - I	R	221	1
		Loharu	R	91	0
		Dadri-I	R	179	1
		Bawanikhera	R	166	1
		Tosham	R	108	0
		Dadri-II	R	135	1
		Siwani	R	89	0
		Kairu	R	78	1
		Behal	R	53	0
		Bhiwni (U)	U	79	0
		Total:-		1339	5
4	Hissar	Hissar-II	R	133	10
		Adampur	R	90	0
		Barwala	R	169	3
		Hansi-II	R	90	1
		Hissar-I	R	199	1
		Narnaund	R	123	0
		Uklana	R	96	0
		Agroha	R	93	0
		Hansi-I	R	178	4
		Hissar (U)	U	80	0
		Total:-		1251	19
5	Karnal	Karnal	R	181	0
		Karnal U	U	55	0
		Nissing	R	152	0
		Nilokheri	R	163	0
		Gharonda	R	188	0
		Assand	R	170	0
		Indri	R	131	0
		Total:-		1040	0
6	Narnaul	Narnaul	R	120	0
		Ateli	R	134	0
		N.Chowdhary	R	135	0
		Kanina	R	138	0
		M. Garh	R	183	0
		Narnaul (U)	U	62	0
		Total:-		772	0
7	Rohtak	Rohtak (U)	U	153	0
		Chiri	R	66	0
		Kalanaur	R	139	2
		Meham	R	150	2
		Rohtak (R)	R	167	0
		Sampla	R	82	0
		Total:-		757	4
8	Gurgaon	Gurgaon	R	235	0
		Sohna	R	112	0
		Pataudi	R	123	0
		F.Nagar	R	104	0
		Total:-		574	0
9	Faridabad	Ballabhgarh	R	168	5
		NIT Faridabad	Zone	195	0
		OldFaridabad	Zone	119	0
		Ballabhgarh	Zone	77	0
		Faridabad (R)	R	135	10
		Palwal	R	250	3
		Hodel	R	104	11
		Hassanpur	R	122	0
		Total:-		1170	29
10	Kurukshetra	Ladwa	R	96	0
		Shahabad	R	171	5
		Thanesar U	U	50	0
		Thanesar	R	183	1
		Pehowa	R	161	0
		Babain	R	56	1
		Total:-		717	7
11	Sonepat	Kathura	R	70	0
		Gannaur	R	173	0
		Rai	R	167	2
		Sonipat	R	188	0
		Mudlana	R	106	0
		Gohana	R	138	0
		Kharkhoda	R	152	0
		Sonipat (U)	U	75	0
		Total:-		1069	2
12	Sirsa	Baragudha	R	100	2
		Dabwali	R	141	3
		Ellenabad	R	106	3
		Rania	R	113	5
		Madhosinghana	R	144	11
		Odhan	R	90	2
		Nathusari Chopta	R	138	4
		Sirsa U	U	52	0
		Total:-		884	30
13	Y.Nagar	Jagadhari	R	175	0
		Bilaspur	R	122	0
		Chhchhrauli	R	186	0
		Radaur	R	103	0
		Sadhaura	R	60	0
		Mustafabad	R	100	0
		Jagadhari (U)	U	68	0
		Total:-		814	0
14	Rewari	Nahar	R	103	0
		Bawal	R	126	0
		Rewari (U)	U	100	0
		Jatusana	R	121	0
		Khol	R	120	0
		Rewari (R)	R	190	0
		Total:-		760	0
15	Panipat	Panipat (U)	U	87	0
		Panipat (R)	R	133	0
		Samalkha	R	123	0
		Israna	R	111	0
		Matlauda	R	115	0
		Bapooli	R	106	0
		Total:-		675	0
16	Kaithal	Kalayat	R	103	0
		Pundri	R	191	2
		Siwan	R	87	0
		Guhla	R	110	7
		Rajound	R	106	0
		Kaithal	U	69	0
		Kaithal	R	191	6
		Total:-		857	15
17	Panchkula	Raipur Rani	R	47	15
		Pinjore	R	119	23
		Barwala	R	64	20
		Morni	R	51	12
		Total:-		281	70
18	Fatehabad	Fatehabad	R	174	10
		Ratia	R	167	0
		Bhuna	R	103	0
		Bhattukalan	R	100	0
		Tohana	R	110	7
		Jakhal	R	53	0
		Total:-		707	17
19	Jhajjar	Dighal	R	135	0
		Jhajjar	R	169	6
		Bahadurgarh	R	246	0
		Bahadurgarh	U	51	0
		Sahlawas	R	82	0
		Matanhail	R	100	1
		Total:-		783	7
20	Mewat	Nuh	R	190	0
		F.P.Zhirka	R	111	0
		Punhana	R	175	0
		Nagina	R	101	0
		Tawru	R	112	0
		Hathin	R	205	6
				894	6
		State Total		17192	252

 

      :: Progress AS ON ::