A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF ANGANWADI

SERVICES ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Dissertation Submitted To

TAMIL NADU OPEN UNIVERSITY

In Partial Fulfilled for the Award of the Degree Of

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK

Submitted by
S KEERTHANA
Enrolment No: 221221400078

Under The Guidance Of

R.RAJATHI
PROJECT MANAGER
(TRA)

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

TAMILNADU OPEN UNIVERSITY

577, ANNA SALAI, SAIDAPET,

CHENNAI-600015
JUNE-2024

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 TAMILNADU OPEN UNIVERSIOTY
577,ANNASALAI, SAIDAPET.
CHENNAI – 600015
Statement of Internal Assessment Marks

Name of the Student S KEERTHANA

Enrolment Number 221221400078

Programme & MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK

Course Code

Name of the Guide R. RAJATHI

Address of the Guide PROJECT MANAGER , TRANSGENDER RIGHTS

and Contact No. ASSOCIATION , KOLATHUR, CHENNAI - 99

A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF ANGANWADI

Title of the Project
SERVICES ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT

I.A Marks (Out of 30) 29

Marks in Words TWENTY NINE

Date : Signature of the Guide with Seal

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this Research Project entitled “A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF
ANGANWADI SERVICES ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT ” submitted to the Tamil Nadu
Open University in Partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Master
of Social Work is a record of original research work done by S KEERTHANA (Enrolment
No: 221221400078 ) under the supervision and guidance of R. RAJATHI, PROJECT
MANAGER , TRANSGENDER RIGHTS ASSOCIATION , KOLATHUR, CHENNAI - 99

Research Guide

Date :

Place :

3
 DECLARATION

I S KEERTHANA(Enrolment No : 221221400078 ) hereby declare that this Research Project

entitled “A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF ANGANWADI SERVICES ON CHILD
DEVELOPMENT” submitted to the Tamil Nadu Open University in Partial fulfilment of the
requirement for the award of the degree of Master of Social Work is a record of original
research work done by me under the supervision and guidance of R. RAJATHI, PROJECT
MANAGER , TRANSGENDER RIGHTS ASSOCIATION , KOLATHUR, CHENNAI - 99

S KEERTHANA

4
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my heartfelt thanks fore to for guiding R. RAJATHI, PROJECT MANAGER

, TRANSGENDER RIGHTS ASSOCIATION , KOLATHUR, CHENNAI - 99 this research
work, invaluable and untiring guidance, encouragement, unfailing support and
valuable criticism throughout my Research Project.

I express my sincere thanks to TMT.J. RENEE ARATHI, Assistant Professor,

Department of SOCIAL WORK, SOSS, TNOU for the direction in conducting the
Research Project.

I express my sincere thanks to Dr. B. VIJAY KUMAR, Assistant Professor,

Department of SOCIAL WORK, SOSS, TNOU for the direction in conducting the
Research Project.

I express my since thanks to all the respondents who are providing necessary
information and cooperation to conduct the Research Project.

I wish to record since thanks to all my colleagues, friends and my family

members whose blessings made this task possible for me.

S KEERTHANA

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 CHAPTER – I

INTRODUCTION

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 CHAPTER – II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

CHAPTER – III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

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 CHAPTER – IV
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

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 CHAPTER – V
FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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QUESTIONNAIRE

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INTRODUCTION

Early childhood (0–6 years) is the most crucial period in life of a child; it is during this period
that the foundations are laid for the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical/mental
development of the child. It is now globally acknowledged that investment in human resource
development is a prerequisite for any nation's economic development. In India, integrated child
development scheme (ICDS) is currently the most significant government intervention for
reducing maternal and childhood malnutrition.

The importance of a program like ICDS lies in some facts as the child population of India. India
is home to the largest child population in the world as 158.7 million children in the 0–6 years of
age group (Census 2011). Being the world's largest outreach program targeting infants and
children below 6 years of age, expectants, and nursing mothers, ICDS has generated interest
worldwide among academician, planners, policy-makers, administrators, and those responsible
for implementation. Consequently, many research studies have been conducted to evaluate and
assess the impact of program.

The National Family Health Survey-3 (2005–2006) reveals that about 43% of children below 5
years in the country were still underweight (as per the WHO New Growth Standards <−2
standard deviation [SD]), and out of these, about 16% were severely malnourished (<−3SD). The
survey also revealed that, countrywide, although 81.1% of children under age 6 years were
covered by anganwadi centers (AWCs), children who received any service from AWC were only
28.4% (21). The need for revitalization of ICDS has already been recommended toward better
maternal and child health, especially in rural areas.

Success of any program depends on proper planning and its effective implementation which
mainly revolve around the anganwadi worker (AWW) and the AWC itself, a factor that assumes
a pivotal place in the scheme of things due to its close and continuous proximity to the
beneficiaries. In spite of repeated measures to enhance the effectivity of the ICDS program, the
impact is not observed as desired by the policy-makers or administrators. And hence, we thought
that knowledge or the perception of AWWs regarding ICDS program can be assessed and
evaluated so that some of the attributable reasons may be pointed out.

The system of anganwadis was developed in 1975 by the Indian government to alleviate
malnutrition in children. The anganwadis provide meals each day to children under six year’s old
living in slums, and also provide lessons in health, hygiene and literacy in a nurturing preschool
environment. A typical Anganwadi center provides basic health care in a village. It is a part of

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the Indian public health care system. Basic health care activities include contraceptive counseling
and supply, nutrition education and supplementation, as well as pre-school activities. The centers
may be used as depots for oral rehydration salts, basic medicines and contraceptives.

As of 31 January 2013, as many as 13.3 lakh (a lakh is 100,000) Anganwadi and mini-
Anganwadis centers (AWCs/mini-AWCs) are operational out of 13.7 lakh sanctioned
AWCs/mini-AWCs. These centers provide supplementary nutrition, non-formal pre-school
education, nutrition, and health education, immunization, health check-up and referral services of
which the last three are provided in convergence with public health systems.

An “anganwadi” means a ‘courtyard shelter’ in India. The system of anganwadis was developed
in 1975 by the Indian government to alleviate malnutrition in children. The anganwadis provide
meals each day to children under six years old living in slums, and also provide lessons in health,
hygiene and literacy in a nurturing preschool environment. They often become community
centers for women and children, contributing programs and services to early childhood
education, nutrition and healthcare.

SMEC has had a long history with TAP, having contributed to the construction of an anganwadi in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat in 2011. In 2019, the SMEC Foundation funded the construction of Harivillu 2, a
rural anganwadi in Ammavaripeta Village, Andhra Pradesh. In addition to funding the construction costs,
SMEC’s teams in Bangalore plan to support volunteer architects on the ground with technical and other
assistance. Harivillu 2 anganwadi will be located in a village called Ammavaripeta, with a population of a-
approximately 1,500 people. The location was chosen because there are over 35 disadvantaged children
attending the small existing anganwadi, which has become overcrowded. Some of the children must
walk over one kilometer to attend each day.

Hartville 2 will accommodate a minimum of 15 children between the ages of two to six from the village.
The children will receive nutritious food, pre-school learning, immunizations and on-going medical
support. The school will also support women in the village requiring pre and post-natal medical attention.
The important process of community engagement, site analysis and concept design commenced in late
2019. Construction began in early 2020, as volunteer architects work with the community to create the
new anganwadi.

“The Anganwadi Project is so grateful to SMEC for their contribution to our latest anganwadi and the
impact the donation will make on so many lives in the community of Ammavaripeta,” said Jane
Rothschild, Project Director and Co-Founder. Public policy discussions have taken place over whether to
make Anganwadis universally available to all eligible children and mothers who want their children
there. This would require significant increases in budgetary allocation and a rise in the number of
Anganwadis to over 16 lakh. The officers and their helpers who staff Anganwadis are typically women
from poor families.

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The workers do not have permanent jobs with comprehensive retirement benefits like other
government staff. Worker protests (by the All India Anganwadi Workers Federation) and public public
debates on this topic are ongoing. There are periodic reports of corruption and crimes against women in
some Anganwadi centers. There are legal and societal issues when Anganwadi-serviced children fall sick
or die.

In announcing the 2022 budget, then Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that salaries
would be increased for Anganwadi workers to ₹20,105 per month and for helpers to ₹10,000 per month.
But with minuscule increment in the overall umbrella budget of just 0.7%. It has been allocated ₹20,263
crore for the next fiscal, as compared to last year’s allocation of ₹20,105 crore. As compared to revised
estimate of ₹199999.55 crore there is a 1.3% increase.

In March 2008 there was debate about whether packaged foods (such as biscuits) should become
part of the food served. Detractors, including Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen, argued against it,
saying that it will become the only food consumed by the children. Options for increasing
partnerships with the private sector are continuing.

In a major initiative, the work of Anganwadis is being digitized, starting with the 27 most
economically disadvantaged districts in Uttar Pradesh: Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. In March 2021, Anganwadis' workers were provided with a
smartphone app to record data that will be integrated with the health ministry, which is involved
in carrying out immunization, health check-ups, and nutrition education under Integrated Child
Development Services.
They were informed that failure to upload digitally-entered records could result in salary and
food suspension. Difficulties emerged with this smartphone app's reportedly being hard to use,
being written in only English, and demanding more memory than cheap smartphones have.
Anganwadi employees, mostly women who earn less than $150 a month, if they even have
smartphones, experienced repeated crashes of this app or found that they do not understand
enough English to use it. Many lack phone reception and electricity in their villages and ask why
meticulously written ledgers, used for years, no longer suffice.

In order to ensure growth monitoring of children and home visits, an incentive of Rs. 500 and Rs.
250 is provided per month to Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs).

In 2021, the Women and Child Development Ministry estimated that there are more than 32 lakh
malnourished children in India. As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) IV, 35.7% of children in
India are underweight. At a global level, around 35% of deaths among children below five are due to
malnutrition. These statistics stress on the importance of nutritional programmers that help children
right from their prenatal state till the first few years since birth.

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Anganwadis are government-funded child and mother care development centres in India. They were
started as a part of the government’s flagship Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to improve
the nutritional status of pregnant women, nursing mothers and children in the age group of 0-6.

In the early 1980s, 120 out of every 1000 newly born children were dying even before
completing one year. Even after 70 years of independence, more than 22% of the Indian
population lives below the poverty line (In 2012, the Indian government stated 22% of its
population is below its official poverty limit.

The World Bank, in 2011 based on 2005's PPPs International Comparison Program, estimated
23.6% of Indian population, or about 276 million people, and lived below $1.25 per day on
purchasing power parity). Ignorance and illiteracy are still rampant among the rural populace.
Severe malnutrition on account of acute poverty which gives room for low-resistance and the
consequential early childhood disease are the main causes for this alarming situation. As per the
2011 census, India has around 158.79 million children constituting 13.1% of India population,
who are below the age of 6 years.

Majority of these children live in an economic and social environment which impairs a child’s
physical and mental development. The government of India launched the National policy on
children in August 1974 while declaring children as a supremely important asset. The Integrated
Child Development Service (ICDS) was launched on 2nd October, 1975, which functioned
through a vast network of ICDS centers, better known as Anganwadis, as an effort to meet the
holistic needs of children below the age of 6 years, adolescent girls, expectant and nursing
mothers.

This was the report of 2011 where most of the problems related to ICDS along with AWWs
were narrated. However, the situation does not change too much till date. Recently, the strike
was called by AWWs in September 2017 for their various demands including salary hike and for
many other demands (74). This shows that there are still many associated malfunctions related
with the effectivity of this ICDS program.

Knowledge, being the basis of any program, is one of the important attributes for successful
implementation and/or attainment of desired outcome of the program. Hence, the proposed study
was undertaken to find out the knowledge and perceptions regarding ECD among AWWs under
ICDS from Seloo block of Wardha District.

We analysed individual AWW with regard to knowledge. It was surprising that 80% knowledge,
in various domains examined, was found in between 49% and 70% of AWWs only. Regarding
social and emotional development, only 82 (49.10%) had 80 % knowledge in that domain. We
considered 80% knowledge as acceptable one because this program is implemented since four
decades; hence, somewhat higher percentage of knowledge is required now for its proper
implementation. However, we found that not even 70% of AWWs had the acceptable knowledge
of ECD/early childhood education under ICDS which is the basic requirement to implement the
program. In India, as part of the Integrated Child Development Services programme Anganwadi
was started in 1975 to combat child hunger and malnutrition.

15
 The main aim of the programme is to provide basic health care, non-formal pre-school
education, supplementary nutrition, nutrition and health education, health check-up,
immunization, referral services, children lactating and pregnant women and adolescent girls for
providing awareness to strengthen the society. The National Family Health Survey evidenced
that India has the highest number of deaths of children under the age of five about 50 percent of
such deaths are mainly due to malnutrition.

Anganwadi centre provides basic health care to rural community which is a part of the Indian
public health-care system. Anganwadi centres are acting as basic health-care rural institutes,
which includes nutrition education and supplementation contraceptive counseling and supply, ,
as well as pre-school activities. Anganwadi is a type of rural childcare center. Narayan J et. al.
(2018) rightly pointed out that in India nearly half of all children are malnourished and each year
almost a million children die before completion of a month. Many new mothers are adolescents,
most of whom are anaemic. These mothers gain only half as much weight during pregnancy
when compared to the global average. In India malnutrition, Maternal and child mortality rates
are also terrifyingly high. Sixty million children are too short for their ages and half of those are
too thin (Narayan J et. al. 2018:139). The present study deals with how Anganwadi plays a main
role on eradication of malnutrition among the rural community.

Anganwadi in Tamil Nadu:

An Overview The word ‘Anganwadi’ means ‘courtyard shelter’ in Hindi. The Anganwadi
Programme is a grassroots programme that reaches out to women in rural areas and urban slums,
to educate them on matters of childcare and child rearing, nutrition, prenatal and postnatal
maternal, and basic health and hygiene. With over 54,000 operational Anganwadi centres
(AWCs), our state has a strong base for community-based outreach programmes that cater to
holistic child development and mother care.

The centrally sponsored Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) centres work towards
providing healthcare, supportive nutrition, immunisation and overall cognitive development,
besides focussing on adolescents, especially girls. The Government of India are taking initiatives
to reduce maternal, neonatal and infant mortality and child malnutrition. A major joint venture,
the adoption of the World Health Organization standard for child development monitoring under
the age of 5 and the introduction of the Common Mother and Child Protection Card (MCP Card)
for both NRHM and ICDS, combining new World Health Organization Child Growth Standards
for assessing nutritional status of the children.

Noon Meal Programme:

Adoptions of SUW children are for providing extra nutrition/diet by panchayat members,
corporate/NGOs/Anganwadi employees to improve their nutritional status. In certain districts as
part of community participation, mothers are encouraged to send their children with one
vegetable each to the centre and drop it in the common container (Akshaya Patram) which will
be used for cooking the nutritious food to add the nutritional value in the meal. It has been
proposed to distribute SNP as THR packed in special packet of 780gms individual packet,

16
printed with SABLA logo and couplets. The couplets messages on nutrition and health relevant
issues will be changed once in three months.

A special programme in M.O.P.–Vaishnava College (Chennai) Community Radio Services has

been done (107.8 FM) for SABLA and as well as for ICDS also. A special programme on
SABLA has been launched through A.I.R under Manaimangalam programme. This has been
broadcasted for two times in prime time. CDPOs are maintaining separate case sheets for
severely underweight children depicting the reasons social causes / medical causes etc for the
nutritional status of the child. Accordingly strategies are developed in improving the existing
nutritional status of that child (ICDS, Tamil Nadu).

The Anganwadi is an extension mechanism to provide health related facilities to the women and
children. Whereas, Government has made concrete initiatives to implement the nutritional
programmers through Anganwadi and ICDS and provide adequate funds to extend the
Anganwadi services at village level in order to improve the health condition particularly among
the elderly and young women to eradicate the nutritional deficiency and children mortality. The
performance of AWCs and MCH services delivered by AWCs still needs improvement. A
holistic method is wanted to optimize the functioning of the scheme, figuring out diverse
troubles regarding the scheme as an entire will assist in transforming the guidelines associated
with women and child development.

Population Norms for Anganwadi Centres:

Government of Tamil Nadu follows population norms for Anganwadi center’s; 400 to 800
populations have 1 Anganwadi centre, Multiples of 800 populations have 1 Anganwadi centre,
150 to 400 populations have 1 mini Anganwadi centre, 1 Anganwadi centre located at hilly/
tribal/ desert areas population for 300 to 800, and 1 mini Anganwadi centre located at hilly/tribal/
desert areas population for 150 to 300. Based on these norms, all Anganwadis are functioning all
over Tamil Nadu. Public policy discussions have taken place over whether to make Anganwadis
universally available to all eligible children and mothers who want their children there. This
would require significant increases in budgetary allocation and a rise in the number of
Anganwadis to over 16 lakh.
The officers and their helpers who staff Anganwadis are typically women from poor families.
The workers do not have permanent jobs with comprehensive retirement benefits like other
government staff. Worker protests (by the All India Anganwadi Workers Federation) and public
debates on this topic are ongoing. There are periodic reports of corruption and crimes against
women in some Anganwadi centers. There are legal and societal issues when Anganwadi-
serviced children fall sick or die. In announcing the 2022 budget, then Indian Finance
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that salaries would be increased for Anganwadi workers to
₹20,105 per month and for helpers to ₹10,000 per month. But with minuscule increment in the
overall umbrella budget of just 0.7%. It has been allocated ₹20,263 crore for the next fiscal, as
compared to last year’s allocation of ₹20,105 core. As compared to revised estimate of
₹199999.55 crore there is a 1.3% increase.
In March 2008 there was debate about whether packaged foods (such as biscuits) should become
part of the food served. Detractors, including Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen, argued against it,

17
saying that it will become the only food consumed by the children. Options for increasing
partnerships with the private sector are continuing.

18
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The Anganwadi system is the world’s largest public provisioning system for early childhood care.
Through almost 14 lakh centres across the country, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is
reaching out to over 8 crore children every day. For the first time in the history of this country, a
protocol is being launched for Anganwadi Workers to screen, include and refer Divyang Children. Under
this protocol, all children will be assessed for delays in their developmental milestones and screened for
early signs and symptoms, their families will receive support and referrals, and their Anganwadi workers
will work with them every day to do new activities that stimulate all their senses, and help them grow.
This initiative is not just a protocol, but an attempt to sensitize society as a whole.

It will outline how to identify and help Divyang children, whether they are experiencing disabilities that
are visible or invisible, severe or mild. Anganwadi workers will receive appropriate training, and
children's progress will be tracked via the Poshan Tracker. The initiative as a whole focuses on
empowering Divyang children and families to live long, joyful and fulfilling lives. The National Education
Policy 2020 clearly lays down the principle of inclusion of Divyang students in regular schools, by making
them more accessible, while also providing children with the option to enrol in special schools if
required.

The National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage 2022 further dedicates an entire chapter to
Addressing Developmental Delay and Disability in schools, including measures family members and
teachers should take to track the development of children in early years, and the support they should
provide. The Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) runs District Disability
Resource Centres (DDRCs), District Early Intervention Centres (DEICs) and nine National Institutes (NIs)
for Persons with Disabilities. The Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities is also
required to take steps to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities. Finally, the largest potential
source for early screening and support is undoubtedly the Anganwadi System, which interacts with 8+
crore children from birth to 6 years on a day to day basis.

There is an urgent need for this protocol: l As per Census 2011 there are about 20.42 lakh children (0-6
years) with disabilities comprising 7% of the child population in the country. With the launch of the

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Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 which now recognizes 21 disabilities, it is thought that the
number of children with disabilities would increase.

The DePwD notes that “early intervention can provide specialized support and services for infants and
young children at risk or with disability and/or developmental delay and their families to help their
development, well-being and participation in family and community life.” Offering timely help and
treatment can make sure that a child gets better and feels healthier overall.

As per research, one-third of most disabilities in India can be prevented, if they are caught early enough
and adequately addressed.

The early signs:

There are two types of signs to watch for - delays in meeting developmental milestones (key abilities,
skills, or behaviors that most children tend to reach at certain ages) and display of early signs and
symptoms. These can be checked through quarterly assessments domain wise, depending on the age of
the child. Broadly, children should be meeting the following key milestones for language, cognitive,
numeracy, social-emotional and physical/motor development.

However, all children learn at their own pace. In case they are consistently behind on these milestones,
there is a possibility of developmental delays. The AWW should advise parents to seek out more
activities to help their child’s development, conduct inclusive strategies in their Centers, and if
necessary, refer the delay to the health and disability systems. The AWW should also be aware of
various categories of rehabilitation professionals, to refer children for early identification and
intervention.

Some early symptoms of different disabilities:

Disabilities can be visible and invisible. A child might show obvious signs of vision or hearing problems,
Down syndrome, or cerebral palsy. Learning disabilities like speech delays, which then lead to literacy
delays, may not be easily visible. Anganwadi workers and parents should watch the child carefully, and
take up activities to support their development across domains. Although 21 disabilities are mentioned
in the RPWD Act, this document focuses on the conditions considered most relevant for Anganwadi
Workers interacting with children under age 6. AWW/ASHA/ANM who notices these signs in the
children may refer them to nearby District Disability Resource Centre, District Early Intervention Centre,
Composite Regional Centre, National Institutes etc. for further identification and early support services.

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The AWC be more inclusive:
AWWs should undertake diverse activities across domains of development, targeting all senses - seeing,
hearing, moving, touching etc. This way, even before referral and formal diagnosis, children with delays
and special needs, who may be lacking in one sense, can participate through another. AWWs can take
up strategies to infuse confidence in Divyang children. They help all children realize that they have the
full right to participate in all activities, from sports to art to other events. AWWs can help children,
parents and the community realizes that Divyang children can be independent despite challenges, and
grow and develop to live a fulfilling life.

a. Use regular assessments:

Observe the child carefully. Identify weak areas and use activities targeted to strengthen that domain,
together with activities that include no affected senses, i.e. strong areas. Assessments should include all
development domains, as per National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage, such as physical
(big and small muscles), language, social-emotional, cognitive etc. Focus on communication, sensory
development, activities of daily living (ADL) etc.

b. Activities and Approach

Use a multisensory approach for better learning: Visual Auditory Kinesthetic and Tactile (VAKT). For
example, use action rhymes, i.e. speaking (auditory) and doing hand and body movements (kinesthetic)
at the same time. Teach a concept by showing pictures (visual), talking (auditory) and doing a related
craft activity (tactile) with the hands. To teach patterns, use available objects like sticks and stones, toys,
blocks, and then move on to paper-pencil tasks.

 Use diverse activities like prayers, songs, sharing games, group interaction activity (name calling,
taking your turn), simple yoga asana, dance and movement, music related activity/Action
Rhymes, bratachari Song, Activities of daily living like buttoning, tying shoelaces, washing hands
etc.
 Create opportunities for play and communication.
 Understand child’s strengths l Praise the child and encourage them generously. l Have the child
sit close to you.
 Build self-confidence and independence opportunities for children. Let them make decisions.
 Work at the child’s level to facilitate development e.g.: sit in front of the child, at eye level, while
speaking with them.
 Encourage and support social and emotional development. E.g.: help to name emotions like
fear, happiness and anger, and help manage them.
 Describe the environment and name things in it. l Encourage children to both listen and speak
by asking questions and talking to them, even when they seem to not understand.

21
  Use the “Tell-show-do” training technique, and repeat this cycle as often as possible. l Use
simple, familiar language, speak clearly and slowly.
 Actively avoid the use of hurtful language or behavior towards the child.
 Support interactions with other children
 Explain when children get impatient, e.g., Can you wait till Nit in finishes talking? I know that he
takes a long time to say some words and he repeats a lot of words; but can you be patient with
him?
 Allow for plenty of practice, and plenty of time to complete a task.
 Give breaks from tasks whenever needed.

c. Toys as Teaching Learning Material:

 Explain to the parent about everyday activities and interacting with children during this time via
play and communication and using household objects. Eg: naming vegetables that are
purchased from the market, playing with a ball made out of paper or cloth available at home.
 Choose toys based on the child’s needs.
 Use pictures, videos, and things to see for children who have trouble hearing. Use sound, like
music or recordings, for children who can’t see well. Eg: Pictures/photographs of parents, family
members, great personalities, rare animals, plants, historical places, events etc. from
newspapers, magazines, books etc. and sounds like songs, rhymes, lullabies, radio, clapping,
clicking, musical instruments etc.
 Use real things or models that you can touch to help understand ideas better. Shapes, clocks,
body parts inside us, toy kitchens, toy doctors’ tools, and models of the solar system are easier
to understand when we can touch them. Blocks that are big and small can help our hands and
eyes work together better. Toys that stack on top of each other can teach us about sizes and
how to grab things. Start drawing with thicker crayons and then try thinner ones later.
 Use real items if they are available easily, like a real flower to explain the petals and leaves, a
real mango to explain taste, smell, size, shape, weight, etc., utensils to show cooking as an
activity of daily life etc.
 Use story books to read to the children, and engage their imagination. Follow with your finger
and go slower in case children are facing difficulties. Include pictures for the hearing impaired
and do voices for the visually impaired.
 Use hand signs, pictures, flash cards, charts, cut outs, embossed (raised) pictures, verbal
instructions, and hands on activities. For example, taking Anganwadi Protocol for Divyang
Children 13 children to the field/ playground and giving simple instructions like – go stand near
the bicycle, keep the ball under the chair, hide the ball in the bushes etc.
 Use repeated phrases like roly-poly, up-up-up, and down-down-down, to clarify sounds and
practice mouth muscle development.

d. Family counseling and guidance:

 Ensure that Divyang children continue to attend the AWC if possible.

22
 Praise parents for their efforts to support their child’s development and explain the science
behind the activities they do. e.g.: “I saw that you talk to your child while they are with you
during mealtime and bathing. This will help your child’s language development. Good job!”
Show kindness and understanding to families, and provide help when needed.

 Remind parents that disabilities are not diseases to be “cured” and their children do not need to
be “made normal”. Disability is not just a health problem but a social problem. Society must
adapt to include children with disabilities.

 Identify what various family members are already doing to support the child’s development and
encourage them to take more positive action, offering ways for them to build on these skills.

 Inform them that language delays are one of the most common invisible difficulties, and they
should do 3 key things every day: talk to their child, play with their child and make their child
laugh. This encourages listening and speaking, which helps later on with reading and writing.

 Keep them informed of their children’s progress, including early warning signs.

 Advise families to seek out more resources online, like on YouTube, and through books and
magazines, specifically for the delays their child is showing.

 Avoid saying bad things about the child or letting others do the same. Trying to change the way
people see disabilities by highlighting positive things like including everyone.

 Do not use labels/terms that are hurtful and bad (e.g., lame boy, blind girl, dumb fellow). Do not
allow others to do so. Anganwadi Protocol for Divyang Children 14 l Work together with families
to set goals for the child that is realistic, achievable and has meaning to them.

 Educate the parent and other family members about the child’s condition and what they have to
do further (getting therapy, consulting rehabilitation professionals, playing different types of
games at home etc.).

 Educate the parents about the cause of disability, so that they do not blame themselves.

 Educate parents about the benefits of availing disability certificates. They can then avail those
benefits and support their child’s development in a better way.

 Parents can be counseled one on one also, because they may restrict themselves from going to
family functions, feel loneliness etc. Family members may blame them, others might avoid
them. Support, encourage and remind them that their children’s needs come first.

23
  Always encourage, support, and respect the child.

e. Community events on Divyang inclusion:

 Understand each child’s strength and try to support them to participate in events with their
maximum potential. e.g.: a child having difficulty in walking can be good at sitting in a chair and
singing in a social event.
 Conduct activities that encourage the participation of all children, no matter their abilities.
Group projects, games, and events can promote interaction and collaboration among children
with and without disabilities, together. Adjust the activities if necessary, make small changes
and be flexible, so that everyone can participate regardless of their disabilities.
 Ensure participation of Divyang children in all community events, local festivals, ECCE days,
VHSNDs, etc. During vaccination and other events involving parents, developmental milestones
and delays can be explained to parents. When planning any event, think about accessibility for
children with disabilities, their parents, and adults with disabilities. For example, consider
inviting an Indian Sign Language interpreter, check for ramps on stages, etc.
 Become a community champion for Divyang inclusion. Children with disabilities have the right to
inclusion and support from their family, AWW and community, to help them live long, fulfilling
lives.

Role and Responsibilities of Frontline Functionaries

Role of AWW:

 Screening: Identify/find and register children with difficulties. Check children for delays in
meeting developmental milestones and display of early signs and symptoms, through regular
observation and quarterly assessments by age and domain. Counsel parents to seek out more
information on activities they can do to help their child develop, or visit a doctor.

 Inclusion: Make sure of adequate and appropriate nutrition, organize inclusive activities,
encourage peer interaction and support and advise parents. Give each Divyang child one-on-one
tailored attention, e.g. using more music with a visually impaired child, and more tactile
manipulative with a hearing impaired child. AWWs educate parents and caregivers about
disabilities, giving guidance on how to care for and support children with disabilities. They can
provide information on available resources, therapies, and techniques to enhance the child’s
development. AWWs can also provide simple activities or exercises that help children with
disabilities in gross and fine motor skills, sensory development, and speech-related activities like
language listening, mouth muscle development etc.

 Referral and Follow up: Refer to ASHA/ANM to assist in escalation to PHC or RBSK team.
Support family to apply for UDID and Disability Certificate on www.swavlambancard.gov.in.

24
 Support family in approaching CMO/DMO for verification and assignment of specialists. After
the Medical Board decision, the card is dispatched to PwD. Initially, parents may be in the
refusal or denial stage. So, after screening and referral, follow-up can be done to ensure parents
are taking the child for consultation, giving therapy and following the advice of rehabilitation
professionals

Role of ASHA:

 Support community awareness building and education about early signs of disabilities in
children, give support and clarify importance of seeking timely intervention l Support AWC
registration of children with difficulties or developmental delays identified through the health
system.
 Support AWW in first referral to primary health centre, and early consultations with specialists
Anganwadi Protocol for Divyang Children 17.
 Support parents in applying for Universal Disability ID and accessing scheme benefits l Advise
the parents and caregivers of children.
 Give support for the inclusion and rights of Divyang children within the community and raise
awareness about their needs and potential
 Visit the Divyang child at home along with AWW.

Role of Supervisor and CDPO:

 Support AWW in registering children with special needs l

 Connect AWW/ASHA to CMO/DMO as required for UDID registration
 Identify and invite local disability experts for talks and training l
 Go with AWW for home visits, and encourage parents towards inclusion, as well as specialized
care for their children. L
 Support AWW in getting additional information about how to include Divyang children, such as
through you tube channels of MWCD, NIPCCD, DePwD, experts, content creators, other social
media etc.
 Identify the local UDID certifying agency, as well as NGOs that are State Nodal Agencies under
National Trust to help with the Niramaya scheme providing health insurance for children with
disabilities.
 Make a list of local organizations, institutions, individuals and resources that can assist AWWs
with supporting the family. NGO Darpan platform can be used, among other sources, to identify
local organizations. These may include disability rehabilitation professionals (e.g.,
physiotherapist, speech therapist, special educator, occupational therapist etc.), research
institutes, civil society organizations etc.
 Occupational Therapists have a major role to play in early intervention, sensory integration
therapy for children with cerebral palsy, autism, learning disabilities etc.
 Therapists may help with starting medicines, using aids (e.g., hearing aid or crutches), simple
speech and language activities or therapy, simple physical activities or therapy, cognitive
exercises, and instructions for the classroom, or anything else that is necessary for the child.

25
Role of District Administration (DPO and DM/DC/CEO ZP)

 Include experts from DePwD in the District Nutrition Committee, to take steps to safeguard the
rights and facilities made available to the persons with disabilities. Anganwadi Protocol for
Divyang Children 18
 Find and build collaborations with Cross Disability Early Intervention Centers of National
Institutes & Composite Regional Centre under DePwD. Also, work with local universities,
institutes and organizations, colleges, start-ups, local NGOs, etc. to create local partner
networks that offer specialized services for Divyang children so they receive comprehensive
care.
 Organize programs and workshops to help people understand better the challenges and needs
of children with disabilities.
 Maintain availability of ramps and handrails for easy access to the AWC.
 Paint door, window frames and handrails in a color that is different from that of the nearby
walls and handles, for improved visibility.
 Make sure of adequate space, as well as solid, non-slippery and non-reflective floor, and other
ways for improving accessibility of AWCs.

Role of Community:

 Create support groups and networks for parents and caregivers of Divyang children.
 These groups can provide emotional support, share resources, and exchange tips, activities and
strategies. Encourage parents to seek out these groups online and in person.
 Participate actively in community-based events, like VHSNDs, ECCE Days etc. to support Divyang
children and their families. Encourage all children to play together with kindness.
 Always encourage acceptance and support for Divyang children within the community. Do not
use hurtful language or labels.
 Promote the understanding that diversity is strength, and that every child has unique abilities
and potential, and the right to a fulfilling life.

POSHAN Abhiyan is a major initiative, among the various initiatives of the Ministry of Women and Child
Development. Poshan Abhiyan was launched on 8th March 2018 with an aim to achieve improvement in
nutritional status of Children less than 6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating
Mothers in a time bound manner by adopting a synergized and result-oriented approach. Through the
Divyang protocol, every district administration will be guided in addressing special needs for education
and nutrition, providing Swavlamban Cards for the empowerment of Divyang children and their families.

The developmental milestones of the children will be tracked on the Poshan tracker and the data will
further support convergence between relevant Ministries viz; MoHFW, DoSEL, DePwD, etc. The creation
of this protocol is a result of the government’s recognition that undetected disabilities in early years can
cause delays in rehabilitation, and can hamper the development of a child. Studies show 30% of
disabilities in India are preventable if caught early, and with the correct stimulation and simple play-

26
based educational activities conducted for children under the age of 6 years, developmental delays can
be prevented from developing into more severe disabilities.

ASHA workers will aid the Anganwadi workers in their home visits to the families of the children, and
help in referring children to health services wherever necessary. According to Census 2011, 2.2% people
are disabled in India, which is about 3 core adjusted to the current population. This makes early
intervention and identification crucial.

The early years, first three years, are critical for fine motor control, cognitive, and mental development
and if parents are unaware or misguided, this window of opportunity is gone. This further makes the
role of Anganwadi Workers crucial.

About the Anganwadi Protocol for Divyang Children:

 The Anganwadi Protocol for Divyang Children aims to make Divyang (specially-abled) child-
care more affordable through the Anganwadi network.
 It is a part of the POSHAN Abhiyan, and hence embodies inclusive care for Social Model for
Divyangjan.
o The POSHAN Abhiyaan is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development
that aims to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children under 6
years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers.
 It is aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of a Swasth Suposhit Bharat in Amrit Kaal.
 It emphasises on improvement and upgradation of Anganwadi Centres to make them more
inclusive.
 Anganwadi Workers will raise awareness and sensitize communities for
inclusive early childhood care, education, and nutrition.

Key Steps in the Protocol:

 Step 1: Screening for early disability signs.

 Step 2: Inclusion in community events and empowering families.
 Step 3: Referral support via ASHA/ANM & Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) teams.

Implementation of the scheme:

 Every district administration will be guided to address special needs for education and nutrition.
 Provision of Swavlamban Cards for the empowerment of Divyang children and their families.
 Development of the children will be tracked on the Poshan tracker for better coordination
between relevant Ministries.
 Training and capacity building of Anganwadi Workers will be done.

Significance of the scheme:

 30% of disabilities in India are preventable if caught early and with the correct play-
based educational activities conducted for children under the age of 6 years.
 According to Census 2011, 2.2% people are disabled in India, which is about 3 crores adjusted to
the current population.

27
  The first 3 years, are critical for fine motor control, cognitive, and mental development and if
parents are unaware or misguided, this window of opportunity will be lost.

Other key facts:

 The DePwD (Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities) has released 1

crore UDID card or Unique Disability Identity cards.
o The objective of UDID card is to enable the PwDs (Persons with Disabilities) is to avail
schemes and benefits for PwDs.

METHODS
Supplementary nutrition services:
28
In order to improve the nutritional status of women and children, this Ministry is implementing
Supplementary Nutrition Programme under Anganwadi Services and Scheme for Adolescent
Girls under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme to children (6
months to 6 years), Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and out-of-school Adolescent Girls (11-
14 years).

The Supplementary Nutrition is one of the six services provided under the Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) Scheme which is primarily designed to bridge the gap between
the Recommended Dietary Allowance (FDA) and the Average Daily Intake (ADI).
Supplementary Nutrition is given to the children (6 months – 6 years) and pregnant and lactating
mothers under the ICDS Scheme.

The Government of India, on 24.2.2009, has issued revised guidelines on nutritional and feeding
norms. States/UTs have been requested to provide supplementary nutrition to children below six
years of age and pregnant and lactating mothers, in accordance with the guidelines which have
been endorsed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide its Order dated 22.4.2009.

The provision of supplementary nutrition under ICDS Scheme prescribed for various categories
of beneficiaries is as follows:

(i) Children in the age group of 6 months to 3 years: Food supplement of 500 calories of
energy and 12-15 gms. of Protein per child per day as Take Home Ration (THR) in the
form of Micronutrient Fortified Food and/or energy-dense food marked as ‘ICDS Food
Supplement’.
(ii) Children in the age group of 3-6 years: Food supplement of 500 calories of energy and
12-15 gms of Protein per child per day. Since a child of this age group is not capable of
consuming of meal of 500 calories in one sitting, the guidelines prescribed provision of
morning snack in the form of milk/banana/seasonal fruits/Micronutrient Fortified Food
etc. and a Hot Cooked Meal.
(iii) Severely underweight children: Food supplement of 800 calories of energy and 20-25
gms of Protein per child per day in the form of Micronutrient fortified and/or energy
dense food as Take Home Ration.
(iv) Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers: Food supplement of 600 calories of energy and
18-20 gms of Protein per day in the form of Micronutrient Fortified Food and/or energy
dense food as Take Home Ration.

Under the Strengthened and Restructured ICDS, these rates have been revised to Rs.6.00,
Rs.9.00 and Rs.7.00 per beneficiary per day for children (6-72 months), severely malnourished
children (6-72 months) and pregnant women and Nursing mothers, respectively. The revised
rates are to follow the phased implementation over the 3 years of the Strengthened and
Restructured ICDS on the existing cost sharing ratio of 50:50 between the Centre and the States
other than NER where it will continue to be on 90:10 basis, as under:

(i) In 200 high burden districts in the first year (2012-13);

(ii) In additional 200 districts in second year (2013-14) (i.e. w.e.f. 1.4.2013) including
districts from special category States and NER;

29
 (iii) In remaining districts in third year (2014-15) (i.e. w.e.f. 1.4.2014).

This was stated by Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister for Women and Child Development, in a
written reply to the Lok Sabha today.
The Social Welfare Department is the nodal Department in the implementation of Supplementary
Nutrition Programme in the State.
Supplementary Nutrition Programme is provided to children below 6 yrs of age, pregnant and
nursing mothers for 25 days in a month and 300 days in a year through a network of 5896
Anganwadi Centres across the State.

Category Number of Component No. of feeding days

beneficiaries
(January 2024)
6 months – 3 years 198043 Take Home Ration 25 days in a month

3 – 6 years children 232883 Morning snacks and 25 days in a month

Hot Cooked Meal

Pregnant and 67127 Take Home 25 days in a month

Nursing Mothers Ration/Hot Cooked
Meal twice a week

Projects in rural areas through Anganwadi Centers

Supplementary Nutrition Programme is provided to children below 6 yrs. of age, pregnant and
nursing mothers and adolescent girls of low income group to improve health and nutritional
status. The scheme is implemented through the network of Anganwadi workers under
the ICDS and urban areas through the NGO's in the entire seven districts headquarter of the state
with 300 feeding days in a year. The two newly created Urban ICDS Projects Shillong and Tura
has been merged to SNP ICDS.

National Nutrition Mission (Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls)

National Nutrition Mission a new scheme introduced by the Government of India during 2002-
03 for implementing subsidized food grains to adolescent girls, expectant and nursing mothers
belonging to Below Poverty Line families and undernourished. The objectives of the programme
are to reduce in malnutrition, elimination of micro nutrients deficiencies relating to iron, iodine,
vitamin A etc. and reduction of chronic energy deficiency. In Meghalaya, East Khasi Hills
District has been selected for covering seven ICDS Projects. The programme is to be
implemented in the lines of growth monitoring, weighing and identification of undernourished

30
by distribution of 6 kgs of food grains (wheat/rice) based on local habitual through Public
Distribution System. Training in growth monitoring, weighing, health and nutrition education,
health checkup, referral services and to conduct IEC programme and purchase of weighing
scales. The programme is to be implemented through a convergence approach with the
Department of Food and Civil Supplies and the Deputy Commissioner of the concerned district
for necessary arrangement of food grains and distribution through Public Distribution System.
The total no. of adolescent girls received food grains as on September, 2008 is 2750.

Supplementary Nutrition is being given as per the revised menu that includes Vitamin &
mineral premix at 50 % RDA level, fortified rice & oil, millets (Ragi/Bajra/Jowar) and
high protein ingredients such as pulses, skimmed milk powder, groundnut, soya powder/granules,
sattu, etc. For the first time provision for utilization of Fortified Rice and Wheat from FCI under
Wheat Based Nutrition Program (WBNP) has been made. 2383 MTs of Wheat and 2383 MTs
Fortified Rice has been allocated and received by the DWCD from MoWCD, GoI to meet
thesupplyofSupplementary Nutrition under Anganwadi services during 1st quarter i.e April, 2023
to June, 2023. 11 teams of officers/officials from DWCD have been constituted who will make
regular visits to the Kitchens and manufacturing units in all the 11 districts to inspect and verify
whether all the norms and conditions of the agreement have been fulfilled.
The ICDS program aims at enhancing survival and development of children from the
vulnerable sections of the society. The present study was conducted to assess supplementary
nutrition (SN) activities and its related issues at anganwadi centres. Material and methods: Total
60 anganwadi centres were selected including 46 anganwadi centres (AWCs) from rural area and
14 AWCs from urban area during April 2012 to March 2013 from 12 districts of Gujarat. Five
AWCs were selected from one district randomly. Detailed information was collected related to
beneficiary's coverage for SN, type of food provided under SN, and various issues related to
supplementary nutrition at anganwadi centres. Results: High coverage of receiving SN among
enrolled was reported in pregnant mothers (88.3%), lactating mothers (91.7%) and adolescents
(86.7%). Only 25% AWCs were providing hot cooked food (HCF) to 3 to 6 years children. Less
than half of the AWCs were providing ready to eat (RTE) food to 6 months to 3 years children
(48.3%), pregnant (46.7%) and lactating (46.7%) mothers, and adolescents (45.0%). Total 38.3%
AWCs reported shortage of SN supply, more in rural (41.3%) compare to urban (28.6%). Various
problems were reported by anganwadi workers related to SN like lack of storage facility, non
availability of separate kitchen, poor quality of food, irregular supply, inadequate supply, and fuel
problem. Conclusion: The regular and adequate supply of SN will improve the provision of hot
cooked food, ready to eat food and take home ration to the beneficiaries as per the norms, leading
to improvement of overall nutritional status of the community.
ICDS has six main components: Supplementary Nutrition, Immunization, Health Check-
up, Referral Services, No formal Pre-school Education, and Nutrition and Health Education. The
first component, Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP), involves the supply of food
materials to Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) across the country to ensure adequate nutrition for
children aged 0-6 years, pregnant and lactating mothers and senior citizens. However, the
implementation of this programme suffered due to pilferage, corruption and inordinate delays in
supply. Further, under this centralized system, Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) did not have any
control over the quantity and quality of food supply. Poor quality of grains was a frequent
concern and the supply of rice stock for three months at one go created problems of storage.

31
In early 2011, before undertaking the decentralization of ICDS, the Government of Odisha held
consultations with the primary stakeholders, including AWWs, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and
officials from WCD and other related departments. Thereafter, it took a series of steps, as is presented in
Table 2. The two main components of SNP are Morning Snack (MS) and Hot Cooked Meal (HCM)
provided to 3-6 year olds in AWCs and Take-Home Rations (THR) provided to the remaining
beneficiaries.

Funds for procurement of food materials are transferred directly into the joint accounts of
AWWs. For all remaining expenses, (such as expenses of hygiene kits), the funds flow from the state to
the CDPO at the district level and then finally to AWWs. This system helps procurement of food material
by the AWWs locally in consonance with the new model, while other materials can be procured at the
district level. There is a state-level management information system (MIS), which can be accessed by
users at each administrative level. E-transactions for transfer of funds are carried out by banks via e-FMS
(Electronic Fund Management System). In addition, the state department has a Treasury Management
System for management of funds.
Training and capacity building of community stakeholders have been crucial elements of
effective decentralization. Video recordings of all the guidelines with detailed explanations were
prepared on CDs and circulated. These also included recipe demonstrations, as in cookery shows. The
CDs were played on fixed dates of the month before key implementation stakeholders at all Gram
Panchayat headquarters and at the CDPO’s office. This exercise was repeated every 7-10 days and
consistently pursued for a period of six months. The CDs are now played as required for refresher
training. One-on-one trainings have been undertaken for Jaanch Committees and Mothers’ Committees.
A participatory learning appraisal has also been conducted for SHGs and community members. To
increase awareness about the initiative, the Government of Odisha published relevant information in
newspapers and pamphlets.
As part of its Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign, kala jathas (repertoire
Table 3: Revised feeding norms as of 2013 Beneficiary THR type Hot Cooked Meal (3-6 yrs children)
Morning Snacks (3-6 yrs children) 6 months to 3 Years Two boiled eggs per week + Chhatua one packet
(Net 1.700 kg) every 15 days Monday & Thursday Rice and dalma (dal cooked with vegetables) Monday
& Thursday Sprouted gram (moong and sugar) Pregnant women and lactating mother Two boiled eggs
per week + Chhatua one packet (Net 2.125 kg) every 15 days Tuesday Rice and soya chunk curry Tuesday
Chuda ladoo (chuda + sugar / jaggery) Severely malnourished children (6 months-3 yrs.)
Two boiled eggs per week + One packet of Rasi ladoo of 100 gms once in a month + Chhatua one
packet (Net 2.550 kg) every 15 days Wednesday Friday & Saturday Rice and egg curry Wednesday Friday
& Saturday Chuda ladoo (chuda + sugar / jaggery) Severely malnourished children (3-6 years.) One
packet of Rasi ladoo of 100 gms once in a month + Chhatua one packet (Net 1.700kg) every 15 days +
HCM + MS The revised ration cost is applicable to the entire State.
The additional cost for 15 districts borne from the State Plan. Source: ‘Tackling under nutrition –
issues and strategies – case study from Odisha’ by Secretary, Women and Child Development
Department, Government of Odisha Image 2: THR – Yellow packets for mothers and Blue packets for
children (0-3 years) health Social Sector Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book 2015 155 of folk
arts) were roped in with a fixed script about ICDS provisions. These were then interpreted and enacted
for villagers in their local language and chosen art form.

Resources Utilized:

32
 Funds for the ICDS programme are shared by the Central government and the State
government as per ICDS norms. Post-decentralization, there has been no extra cost for start-up or
maintenance, and it has been running on existing budgets. Infrastructure is the key requirement for the
ICDS programme as it is needed for conducting classes and activities for anganwadi children, preparing
meals and storing two to four weeks’ worth of food materials for HCM, MS and THR. However, this
requirement has not been completely met yet.
Findings of an audit by the Voice for Child Rights Odisha (VCRO)1 found out that only 52% of the
surveyed AWCs had their own buildings. District level offices, led by the CDPO, also require adequate
facilities such as computers and operators to avoid any delay in processing procurement and fund plans.
They have also been given vehicles to facilitate their work.

Some of the main challenges faced in effective decentralisation of the ICDS programme relate to
capacity building at the ground level. There was apprehension and resistance on the part of AWWs and
PRIs for opening bank accounts as they were unfamiliar and unsure of such a system. Also, AWWs were
initially concerned about being overburdened by the responsibility of procurement.

These perceptions have, however, changed after seeing the benefits and efficiency of the system in
ensuring timely and good quality procurement. Also, identifying SHGs and assuring them of the
advantages of investing in the production of THR was not an easy task. Consistent efforts by district
administrators in selecting suitable SHGs, based on the fixed criteria given in the guidelines, helped in
taking the initiative forward.

In some cases, the lack of infrastructure has also caused difficulty in storing food supplies, maintaining
hygienic standards and providing separate areas for cooking and for children to play. Although all AWCs
are operational, several do not have dedicated buildings. Efforts have been made in the past two years
to address this gap on a priority basis by setting up AWCs in school buildings where possible and
undertaking construction en masse.

Last but not the least, since rice for AWCs and wheat for THR is supplied by the Food Corporation of
India, the earlier problems of non-supply, poor quality and delay in lifting and transporting these two
commodities still persist.

Long-term sustainability requires the state administration to create an enabling environment. For the
purpose of introducing reforms, support for this initiative was garnered from the apex to the grassroots
level and the required trust to be invested in grassroots functionaries. The replication of this model
requires a strong administrative thrust in identifying the context-relevant loopholes in the system, as
was done in the case of Odisha.

Training and capacity building of the community is also an essential factor for the smooth deployment
of the model, which has demonstrated that procuring food materials at ration rates may be difficult but
is possible, and that contractors can be removed from the supply chain of SNP with beneficial results in
terms of effective implementation.

Going forward, it would be important to broaden the focus of ICDs by complementing the
supplementary nutrition Programme with home-based nutrition. This must also involve identification of
vulnerable families where children are more prone to SAM.

33
Moreover, while local procurement has improved in most parts after the shift towards greater
decentralization within the ICDS in Odisha, it is important to address specific difficulties in the
procurement of rice and wheat through requisite administrative reform.

RESULTS
Applied Nutrition Programme (ANP)
• ANP started first in Orissa on 1963.

• Later extended whole country through the government of India.

Objectives:

• Promoting production and of protective food such vegetables and fruits.

• Ensure their consumption by pregnant and lactating women and children

Activities:

• Nutritional education.

• Nutrition worth 25 paisa for children and 50 paise for pregnant and lactating women for 52 days in a
year.

Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS)

• Initiated in October 2 nd, 1975, in 33 CD Blocks under 5th Five Year Plan

• World’s largest program for early childhood development.

• It is the symbol of country’s commitment to its children and nursing mothers to providing pre -school
conformal education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, reduced
learning capacity and mortality on the other.

Balwadi Nutrition Programme

• This was started in 1970 under the department of social welf are through voluntary organizations.

• It is a nutrition programme f or preschool children.

• The Mahila Mandals run these balwadis . Objectives:

• To prevent nutritional anemia in mothers and children.

• To assess prevalence, give treatment, give prophylaxis, monitoring & educate. Beneficiary: Preschool
children 3 -5years of age.

Services:

• 300kcal and 10gm protein f or 270 days in a year.

34
• Also provide with preschool education.

Special Nutrition Programme (SNP)

• launched in 1970-71 by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of India.

• Operated under minimum need programme

• Main aim is to improve nutritional status in targeted group.

Objectives:
• The objectives of the programme is to improve the, nutritional of preschool children, pregnant and
lactating mothers of poor socio -economic groups in urban slums, tribal areas and drought prone rural
areas.

Beneficiary:
• Children below 6 years.

• Pregnant and lactating women Services: Preschool children : 300kcal and 10 -12gm protein Pregnant
& lactating mothers :500kcal and 25 gm protein.

National Nutritional Anemia Prophylaxis Programme

• Programme was launched during 4th 5 -year plan in 1970.

• 1991-Renamed as ‘National nutritional anemia control Programme’.

Objectives:

To prevent nutritional Anemia in children & mother.

Beneficiary:

• Children 1-5years of age .

• Expecting and lactating mothers.

• Family planning (IUD) acceptors Services.

• IFA tablet to target population on weekly basis on a fixed day (Monday) for 52 weeks.

• Biannual deworming (February and August).

National Prophylaxis Programme for prevention of blindness due to vitamin-A

deficiency (NPPNB)
• NPPNB launched in 1970. It was 1st initiated in 11 states.

35
• Subsequent years: program extended to whole of the country.

Objectives:

• Reduction of blindness & prevention of blindness due to vit-A.

Beneficiary:

• All children 1-3 years of age.

Activities:

• Children are given a massive dose of vit A i.e. 1 lakh IU at 6-12 month & subsequently 2 lakhs IU at 6
month interval till the child is 5 yrs. Old.

About Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP)

 The Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP), a component of the Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) scheme of the Government of India, is an agro-food value chain-
based public food distribution initiative to ensure that vulnerable groups get the required
nutrition.
 Food distribution is a major component of ICDS, and SNP is the largest feeding Programme
focused on improving the nutritional status of children and women in India.
 Social protection programmers like SNP play a food safety-net role for the vulnerable groups.
 The categories and provisions under SNP in Telangana are as follows:
 Pregnant and lactating women
 The government runs a ‘One Full Meal’ Programme for pregnant and lactating women called
Arogya Lakshmi, with the objective of reducing maternal and infant mortality.
 The initiative ensures compliance with the intake of required iron supplements by pregnant
women and can be seen as addressing the needs of the mother and infant during the first 1000
days.
 Children
 SNP targets the reduction of under nutrition in children below 6 years of age through the
provision of therapeutic food and freshly-cooked meals.
 The scheme though led by the state, there is scope for active engagement of the business and
private sectors and civil society for effective delivery under these initiatives.

 The Balwadi Nutrition Programme is a healthcare and education programme launched by

the Government of India to provide food supplements at Balwadi to children of the age
group 3–6 years in rural areas.
 This program was started in 1970 under the Department of Social Welfare, Government of
India. Four national level organizations including the Indian Council of Child Welfare are
given grants to implement this program. The food supplement provides 300 kilocalories of
energy and 10 grams of protein per child per day
 Balwadis are being phased out because of the implementation of the Integrated Child
Development Services Programme.

DISCUSSION

36
Currently major nutrition supplementation programs in India are: 1) Integrated Child
Development Services Scheme (ICDS); 2) Mid-day meal Programs (MDM); 3) Special Nutrition
Programs (SNP); 4) Wheat Based Nutrition Programs (WNP); 5) Applied Nutrition Programs
(ANP); 6) Balwadi Nutrition Programs (BNP); 7) National Nutritional Anemia Prophylaxis Program
(NNAPP); 8) National Program for Prevention of Blindness due to Vitamin A Deficiency; and 9)
National Goiter Control Program (NGCP).

The history of the respective programs, their beneficiaries, objectives, activities, organization,
and evaluation are detailed. The ICDS beneficiaries are children below 6 years, pregnant and
lactating mothers, and women aged 15-44 years, who are provided the following:
supplementary nutrition; immunization; health check-ups; referral services; treatment of minor
illnesses; pre-school education to children aged 3-6 years.

The MDM program's intended beneficiaries are children attending the primary school. Children
belonging to backward classes, scheduled caste, and scheduled tribe families are given priority.
The SNP is to provide supplementary nutrition and health care services including supply of
vitamin A solution and iron and folic acid tablets to pre-school children, and pregnant and
lactating mothers of poor groups in urban slums and tribal areas.

The ANP strives to make people conscious of their nutritional needs and to provide
supplementary nutrition to children aged between 3-6 years and to pregnant and lactating
mothers. The beneficiaries of the WNP scheme are children of pre-school age and nursing and
expectant mothers in areas with high infant mortality such as urban slums and backward rural
areas.

The program of BNP aims to supply about one-third of the calorie and half of the protein
requirements of pre-school children between the age of 3-5 years to improve the nutritional
status. The NNAPP scheme beneficiaries are children in the 1-5 age group and pregnant and
nursing mothers, female acceptors of terminal methods of family planning and IUDs. The NGCP
aims to supply iodized salt to the entire country by 1992.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPERTATION

INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Tamilnadu has a long history of providing organised child care services with emphasis on

37
nutrition to children outside the home under institutionalized care. In 1956, a school midday
meal scheme was in operation in the then Madras State. In 1961, CARE offered food commodity
assistance (Bulgar Wheat) under which children in 30,000 schools were covered. In 1967 the
system was radically modified to operate through Central Kitchens. In 1970, Special Nutrition
Programme was introduced to cover children below the school age group. Realizing the fact that
“Investment in children is investment in the welfare of the Nation in future”, Integrated
Child Development Service Scheme was introduced with the support of Government of India
with the main focus on Health, Nutrition, Pre-school education and Health education for women
and children.

The Integrated Child Development Services Scheme was launched in India in the year 1975 on
the 106 birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with 33 Projects which was designed as a
th

befitting tribute to him and for development needs of young children, Adolescent girls, Pregnant,
Nursing mothers across the life cycle. It is the most effective programme for breaking an inter-
generational cycle of gender disparity by intervening as early as possible to promote survival,
growth and development, protection and participation of the yet to be born girl child, the young
child and Adolescent girls.

Foresight of ICDS

Integrated Child Development Services provides qualitative services with a protective, gender
sensitive and child friendly environment so as to improve the nutritional outcomes of maternal
and child health, to ensure overall physical, psychosocial, cognitive and emotional development
of the child in a holistic manner.

Goal

To achieve “Malnutrition Free Tamil Nadu” and ensure building on the principle of “Leaving no
one behind” as envisaged in sustainable development goals.

Approaches

 Reaching the unreached through active involvement of stake holders

and various line departments converging to establish positive
Behavioural and social changes with concerted effort and relevant
targets.

 Creating awareness and dissemination of updated information using

various channels of information, print and visual media.

 Capacity building and real time monitoring by adept use of technology.

Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services

Integrated Child Development Services, was restructured as Umbrella ICDS during the year
2017 by the Government of India with the under mentioned sub schemes:-

38
1. Anganwadi Services Scheme
2. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
(implemented by Health and Family Welfare Department since 2018-
2019)
3. National Creche Scheme
4. Child Protection Scheme
5. POSHAN Abhiyaan-National Nutrition Mission.
6. Scheme for Adolescent Girls.

Operational Status

In Tamil Nadu, the Department of ICDS is operational with 54,439 Anganwadi centres of which
49,499 are main centres and 4,940 are mini centres. The services reach children under 6 years,
antenatal women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls in 385 rural projects, 47 urban
Projects and 2 tribal projects in the State. Population norms have been revised for the operation
of Anganwadi centres in rural and urban projects, as 400 to 800 population for main Anganwadis
and 150 to 400 for mini Anganwadis. For Tribal projects, this varies from 300 to 800 for main
Anganwadi centres and 150 to 300 for mini Anganwadi centres.

Organisational Set Up:

Supplementary Nutrition:

Supplementary nutrition under ICDS is a major Social protection measure that reaffirms the
state’s commitment to improve the nutritional outcome of the children, Antenatal women
Lactating mothers, and out of school Adolescent girls in the age group of 11-14 years. In the
lifespan of a child the first thousand days i.e. from the conception till the day of the child’s
second birthday, is the most important period. As children at this stage are at a fragile time in
their physical development, lack of balanced nutrition and under nutrition during this time frame
can have long term and irreversible effects. Right nutrition during this period will have a
profound impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn and rise out of poverty.

Supplementary nutrition programme in ICDS focuses on improving nutritional intake of

beneficiaries by providing two types of services viz. and Take Home Ration and Hot cooked
meal to the beneficiaries. The food provided under this programme is planned in accordance to
the nutritive value recommended in Schedule II of National Food Security Act 2013.

Complementary Feeding:

Complementary feeding is the process when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet the
nutritional requirement of infants and therefore other food and liquid are introduced to the child
along with breast feeding. Hence, to ensure the right time of introduction of complementary

39
feeding to children ‘Sathu maavu’ is being provided on completion of 6 months of age for a
child. Further to support the optimal growth provision of supplementary nutrition is continued till
the age of 6 years of the child. The children who are enrolled in angawadi centres are provided
supplementary nutrition (sathu mavu) as Take Home Ration for 300 days in a year. The foetal
growth is directly proportional to the maternal health and nutritional status.

Hence, to ensure good maternal health, micro – nutrient fortified sathu maavu is given to
antenatal women as soon as they got registered in the Anganwadi Centre. Since, exclusive breast
feeding for 6 month is recommended to assure the health benefits of a new born child, the
lactating mother is provided with sathu maavu during this period. Sathumavu is also provided to
out of school adolescent girls in the age group of 11-14 years for 300 days in a year to aid in
their growth spurt. The Composition of Complementary Weaning Food (Sathu Mavu) and the
per day quantum of complementary food (Sathu Mavu) provided to ICDS beneficiaries is
detailed below:

Composition of Complementary Weaning Food (Sathu Mavu)

1. Wheat flour 45.50

2. Roasted Ragi Flour 6.00
3. Fortified Palm Oil 5.00
4. Malted Ragi Flour 5.00
5. Full Fat Soya Flour 10.50
6. Jiggery 27.00
7. Minerals (Iron, Calcium) and Vitamin Pre-Mix (Vitamin A and C, Thiamine, Riboflavin,
Niacin, Folic Acid)
Total 100.00

Per day quantum of Complementary Weaning Food (Sathu Mavu)

1. 6-24 months Children 125

2.6-24 months SUW Children 200
3. 2 - 3 years Children 100
4. 2 - 3 years SUW Children 165
5. 3 - 5 years Children 10
6. 3 - 5 years SUW Children 100
7. Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers 165
8. Adolescent Girls 11-14 years (Out of School Going)

Hot Cooked Variety Meal to Children attending Anganwadi

Centres (2 to 6 years children)

Tamil Nadu is a pioneer State in providing nutritious noon meal to Anganwadi Children. Every
child requires sufficient nutrition for proper development of physical and mental health. Hence to
improve the nutritional status of the children, along with hot cooked meal the children are
provided Black Bengal/ Green Gram on Tuesday, Potato on Friday and Eggs on Monday,

40
Wednesday and Thursday. The menu of Hot Cooked Meal has been designed considering the
digestive capacity and special nature of the children. Hot cooked meal is provided to the children
in Anganwadi Centres itself in the age group of 2 to 6 years attending pre-school education.

FINDINGS

The Weekly Menu:

Days Menu

Monday- Tomato Rice + Boiled Egg

Tuesday -Mixed Rice + Boiled Black Bengal gram / Green gram
Wednesday -Vegetable Paula Rice + Boiled Egg
Thursday -Lemon Rice + Boiled Eg
Friday- Dhal Rice + Boiled Potato
Saturday- Mixed Rice
Sunday- Dry Ration as Take Home Ration (Rice and Dhal)

Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation is the nodal agency to supply of Rice, Dhal, Black
Bengal Gram, Green Gram and fortified oil. Double Fortified salt is provided by Tamil Nadu
Salt Corporation. Eggs are procured and supplied by floating State Level Annual Egg Tender.
All the above food items are supplied at the door steps of every Anganwadi centres. Further, to
meet out the expenditure towards vegetables, condiments and fuel an amount of Rs.1.52 per
child per day on 3 days (Tuesday, Friday and Saturday) when dhal is used for preparing hot
cooked meal and Rs.1.81 for 3 days (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday) when dhal is not used.

Weekly Food Schedule (Hot Cooked Meal and Complementary

Dry Ration in COVID 19 Pandemic:

In order to ensure that the nutritional status of ICDS beneficiaries is not only maintained but also
does not suffer a setback, Weaning Food (Sathu Maavu), Rice, Dhal and Eggs are provided at the
door steps of the beneficiaries once in a fortnight since the closure of Anganwadi Centers due to
COVID 19. Weaning Food is provided to children from 6 months up to 6 years, Out of School
Adolescent Girls in the age group of 11 to 14 years, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers. In
lieu of Hot cooked Meal (Mid-Day Meal) children in the age group of 2 to 6 years are provided
Rice, Dhal and Egg (3 days a week) as dry ration.

Usage of Fortified Food Ingredients:-

 Micro-nutrients are the essential vitamins & minerals required by human being to
stimulate cellular growth & metabolism. Deficiencies of Iron, Iodine & Vitamin A are the
most widespread form of micro-nutrient malnutrition.

41
  In order to combat the micronutrient deficiency among children, Ante Natal Women and
Pregnant Mothers and Adolescent Girls the following fortified food ingredients are
utilised in the supplementary nutrition provided through Integrated Child Development
Services.

 The Iodised salt has been used in mid-day meal preparation from the year 1991. In due
course, the salt has been double fortified with Iron & Iodine.

 Vitamin A and Vitamin D fortified agrimony oil is used for cooking noon meal.

 The complementary weaning food provided to the Children,

Pregnancy Women, Lactating Mother & Adolescent Girls is
Fortified with Vitamin & Minerals to enhance the nutritive value.

 To address Micro Nutrient deficiency, as a pilot programme Iron Fortified rice kernels
with 9 Nutrient contents (Vitamin A , B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Folic acid, Iron and Zinc) has
been introduced.
 under Noon Meal Scheme in 5 districts namely Dharmapuri, Madurai, Thoothukudi,
Thanjavur and The Nilgiris from October 2019. The scheme is also extended to
Thiruchirapalli district from October 2020.

Double Fortified Salt (Iron and Iodine) to anaemic ante natal

women:
This scheme is being implemented in Salem, Vellore and Villupuram districts from August 2020
to July 2021 as pilot scheme to alleviate anaemia Double Fortified salt (Iron and Iodine fortified)
per month. 10,120 anaemic ante natal women have been benefitted through this scheme. The
Government have allocated @ Rs.9.40 lakhs for this scheme.

Provision of Supplementary Nutrition as Sathu Maavu to Old Age

Pensioners
 To promote health and wellness amount Old Age Pensioners, 100
grams of Sathu Maavu at the cost of Rs.6.30 per day per beneficiary are being provided
as Take Home Ration once in a month.

 Piloting has been rolled out in Ramanathapuram, Salem, Vellore and

Villupuram district at Cost of Rs.209.12 lakhs frm Angnst 2020 for a
period of one year.

Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment

(POSHAN) Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission)

42
In order to improve the Nutritional outcomes of the children from birth to 6 years, Adolescent
girls, Pregnant women and Lactating mothers by focusing on “Jan Andolan” for behavioral
change the Government of India has introduced the National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN
Abhiyaan) as a structured drive to combat nutritional challenge.

The scheme was rolled-outin all the 32 Districts (Integrated 38 Districts) in Phased manner, with
the funding pattern of 80:20 (GOI: State). Setting up of SPMU (State Project Management Unit)
at State level , District and Block helpdesk under POSHAN Abhiyan throughout the State for
effective roll out and monitoring activities here carried out under National Nutrition Mission.
The various component under POSHAN Abhiyan has been outlined as following aspects.

Common Application Software (ICDS-CAS)

Information and Communication technology enabled Real Time Monitoring (ICT-RTM)–

POSHAN Abhiyaan empowered Anganwadi workers and Lady Supervisors with smartphones
loaded with ICDS-CAS. Digitalization of Anganwadi services with the real time data replaced
the 11 manual registers into 10 application modules under ICDS-CAS.

All the field functionaries equipped with smartphone and power bank to enhance the quality of
supervision at all levels. Handholding training was given to all Anganwadi workers and lady
supervisors on ICDS-CAS.
As part of POSHAN Abhiyaan programme, ICDS-CAS was successfully implemented by
capturing the data of all beneficiaries with facilities to generate and derive required information
for better monitoring and programme management. Regular growth monitoring of target
beneficiaries has been ensured under POSHAN Abhiyaan. The set of Growth Monitoring devices
namely Infant meter, Stadiometer, Infant weighing Scale and Adult Weighing Scale (Mother and
Child) has been procured and supplied to all Anganwadi centres for effective Growth
monitoring. Details of Normal Children Details of Moderate Underweight Children.

Incremental Learning Approach (ILA)

To improve the counselling capacity of field functionaries and to instill the importance of the
first 1000 golden days of a child (Golden 1000 days), the Incremental Learning Approach (ILA)
has been planned by way of 21modules. Trainings were conducted in cascade model to reach the
grass root level. State Resource Group (SRG), District Resource Group (DRG), Block Resource
Group (BRG) and Sector level Resource Group (SLRG) formed to disseminate the ILA content
from State level to sector level and to reach all stakeholders.

Community Based Events (CBE)

For the benefit of target beneficiaries viz., lactating mothers, pregnant women, children and the
community, varied community based events are organized at Anganwadi centre level, twice a
month. The key messages covered during Community Based Events (CBE) are topics like Ante
Natal Care (ANC)& check-up, usage of mother and child protection (MCP) card, as a learning
tool early initiation of exclusive breast feeding, cash benefits, Iron Folic Acid (IFA) & Calcium
tablets, immunisation, care of weak new born, healthy diet, deworming, complementary feeding,

43
weight gain, iodized salt, hand washing and other public health related messages.

The key messages are covered under 5 major themes are:

1) Inviting women during 1st & 2nd Trimester of Pregnancy,

2) Timely introduction of complementary feeding,
3) Orienting Husbands on their role in maternal and child care
4) Preparing the children for Pre School at Anganwadi Centre and
5) Messages related to public health for improvement of Nutrition and to reduce illness.

People’s Mass Movement (Jan Andolan)

People’s Mass Movement under National Nutrition Mission is an integrated approach to reach
every household with the message of Poshan (Nutrition awareness) with inclusive participation
of public representatives of local bodies, government departments of the State, social
organizations and the public and private sector at large. Necessary funds were released to
districts to carry out the following activities under Jan Andolan component.

 Samudhaya Valaikappu (Community Bangle Ceremony)

 Breast feeding week
 POSHAN Maah (Nutrition month) and POSHAN Pakhwada celebrations
 Promotion of Traditional Food habits
 Hand Washing day
 Anaemia Awareness Programme
 Exhibitions at State level, District level and Block levels
 Parambariya Unavu Thiruvizha (Traditional food festival) at all
 districts
 Health and nutrition education for Adolescent Girls
 Rashtriya POSHAN Maah (National Nutrition Month) was celebrated in
 September 2020. Pushing this month-long celebration two major activities covered are:

A Identification and tracking of children with Severe Acute

Malnutrition (SAM) and

B Plantation drives for promotion of Nutri Gardens.

Totally 15,706 SAM children identified and 3, 48,939Nutri Gardens promoted. Totally 1, 75,
38,935 awareness activities were conducted thereby reaching nutrition and health messages to
majority of the population.

Mission POSHAN 2.0

44
Mission POSHAN 2.0 has been launched by Ministry of Women & Child Development,
Government of India with a goal to eradicate malnutrition and hunger among women, adolescent
girls / boys and children between birth to 6 years, in order to provide access to good nutrition,
promoting nutritional awareness and good eating habits for sustainable health and well-being,
with the funding pattern of 80:20 (GOI:State).

POSHAN Tracker

Tracker Mobile Phone Application has been newly launched by Government of India under
Mission POSHAN 2.0 during January 2021. This application provides a 360-degree view of the
activities by Anganwadi Centres, Service deliveries of Anganwadi Workers and complete
beneficiary management for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children through digitalized
monitoring mechanism. As of now, all 54439 Anganwadi centres have been registered unde
POSHAN r POSHAN Tracker Application in Tamil Nadu and data pertaining to all ICDS
beneficiaries (i.e Birth to 6 years children –30,75,373, Pregnant women – 3,78,414 , Lactating
mother - 3,51,244 & Adolescent girls – 406) have been uploaded. Training on usage of the
POSHAN Tracker Application to the Anganwadi Workers is to be organised shortly through
NeGA

Convergence

Convergence Action Plan Committees at State/ District/ Block Level have been formed to
facilitate and coordinate convergence of various nutrition and health related schemes across
various departments. The Committees at all levels should be convened in regular interval to
improve quality and standards, food fortification, convergence with scheme programmes,
leveraging AYUSH practices.

PROVISION OF MEDICINE KIT AND HYGIENE KITS TO ALL

ANGANWADI CENTRES

Anganwadi Centres are provided with Medicine Kit to address minor ailments like, fever,
diarrhoea, dressing of wound, skin infections etc.,. The Anganwadi workers are effectively
trained on the administration of drugs by the Health and Family Welfare Department. Children
who need further treatment are referred to the nearest Primary Health Centre or other available
Government facility.To promote effective hygienic practices among children and to keep them
neat and tidy at the Anganwadi centres, Hygiene Kit consisting of a Nail cutter, Combs, soaps
and Hand Towels is being provided to all Anganwadi centres. A sum of Rs. 7.79 crore has been
incurred for implementing the programme during the year 2020-2021.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

45
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) aims at the holistic development of a child’s
physical, cognitive, emotional and social needs in order to build a strong foundation for lifelong
learning and well being. ECCE is one of the most important component and backbone of the
ICDS programme.Stimulation in the first six years of the life of the child is critical since the
development in these years is more rapid than any stage of development. The Government of
India through the amended article 45 of the Constitution Act, 2002 directs that ‘State shall
endeavour to provide ECCE for all children until they complete the age of six years’.

Sustainable Development Goal No.4 also targets to ensure that all girls and boys have access to
quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for
primary education.

Aadi Padi Vilaiyadu Pappa (APVP), a developmentally and age appropriate Annual
Contextualized Curriculum has been prepared by our State based on the National Early
Childhood Care and Education Policy, 2013 and implemented in all the Anganwadi Centres.
This curriculum contains 11 child-friendly theme based activities for 11 months and 12th month
is reserved for revision of syllabus. ECCE curriculum books for Anganwadi Workers, age wise
Activity Books, Assessment Cards, Pre-School Completion Certificates, Child Profiles for
children and Pre-school Kits are supplied for all Anganwadi Centres every year.

Anganwadi Workers have been trained on ECCE at Sector Level in three stages in a cascade
manner and 43880 Anganwadi Workers are trained so far and ensured effective rollout of ECCE.

Virtual Learning

Since last week of March 2000 onwards, Virtual Learning methods are followed in ECCE during
the Pandemic period as an innovative and unique way in Anganwadi centres involving parents
and caregivers at home for the all-round development of children, The Anganwadi Workers
created Whatsapp groups for parents.
The curriculum based activities were pre-recorded as videos and as voice messages and were
shared with the parents and caregivers for varied stimulation activities and for teaching the
children at home and who in turn posted the feedback of children performance in the whatsapp
groups, during the lockdown period. NITI Aayog also tweeted on this as best practice. “Amidst
lockdown the Anganwadi workers in Tamil Nadu State are recording training exercise and
sending it to parent and encouraging them to take the role of teachers at home”.

Department of ICDS has been awarded with SKOCH Gold award for its initiatives on Virtual
Learning interventions pertaining to ECCE in the year 2021. A sum of Rs.27.22 crore has been
provided in the budget for carrying out ECCE activities for the year 2021-22.

Montessori education based LKG / UKG classes in anganwadi centres

co located in government middle school premises

46
Montessori Education based LKG / UKG classes have been started in 2381 Anganwadi centres
co located within the Government Middle School premises as a pilot initiative in co-ordination
with the School Education Department in all districts of Tamil Nadu. This scheme aims to raise
the enrolment of children and in improving their learning skills, reading and writing
competencies in English language, facilitating good Primary Education and reduce the economic
burden of parents.

Teaching is done by the Teachers of School Education department. The scheme is rolled out on
pilot basis for a period of three years. The Children are provided with four sets of Uniforms and
books as per syllabus in four subject’s viz., Tamil, English, Mathematics and Environmental
Science which was prepared in convergence with School Education Department. Educational kits
are also provided to the centres.

Supply of two sets of stitched readymade Colour uniforms to

Anganwadi children in 25 Districts.

To motivate the parents in the community to send their children to Anganwadi centres and to
encourage / improve enrolment in Anganwadi Centres, the scheme of providing two sets of
ready-made colour uniform to the children in the age group 2 to 6 years attending pre-school
education in anganwadi centre was introduced in 5 districts during the year 2012.

As the scheme was well received by the community, it has been extended in a phased manner
and presently two sets of readymade colour uniforms @ Rs.262.50 per child are being provided
in 25 integrated Districts. The programme is being implemented exclusively out of State funds.
During the year 2020-21, two sets of ready- made colour uniforms were provided to 9.15 lakh
children at a total cost of Rs.23.77 crore. A sum of Rs.24.80 crore has been provided in BE
2021-22 for this purpose.

Infrastructure Development of Anganwadi Centres.

(a) Construction of Anganwadi Centres.

From the year 2016 onwards as per the Government of India norms construction of Anganwadi
centres are being done in convergence with MGNREGA Scheme. Under the scheme during
2016-17 to 2020-21 sanction has been accorded for construction of 5303 anganwadi centres, out
of which 3276 Anganwadi centres have been constructed and put in use. The work of
Construction of anganwadi centres is being done by the Department of Rural Development and
Panchayat Raj. The present estimated cost of construction of one anganwadi centre is Rs.10.19
lakhs. (MGNREGS Rs.5.00 lakhs, ICDS share Rs.2.00 lakhs and Panchayat Union General fund
Rs.3.19 lakhs). A sum of Rs.20.00 crore towards ICDS share is provided in BE 2021- 22 for
construction of anganwadi centres.

(b) Construction of Child Friendly Toilets

47
In order to inculcate the habit of using toilet among children, construction of Child Friendly
toilets are being carried out in a phased manner. During the year 2020-21 a sum of `1.08 crore
has been sanctioned for the construction of 900 child friendly toilets in convergence with Rural
Development and Panchayat Raj Department, and construction are in progress. A sum of Rs.1.08
crore towards ICDS share is provided in BE 2021-22 for construction of Child friendly toilets.

(c) Up gradation of Anganwadi Centres

The Anganwadi centres functioning in Govt. owned buildings are being upgraded @ Rs.2.00
lakh per centre on need basis to carry out works like, laying concrete roof in lieu of Asbestos
Sheet, Securing EB connection/Wiring, Provision of Fan and tube-light, Construction of Ramp,
Construction/renovation of child friendly toilets, construction of compound wall etc., During the
year 2020-21 up gradation of 1370 Anganwadi Centres were taken up at a total cost of Rs.27.40
crore. A sum of Rs.27.40 crore is provided in BE 2021-22 for up gradation of anganwadi centres.

(d) Drinking water facility to Anganwadi Centre

In order to ensure that drinking water facility is available in all Anganwadi centres, Government
have sanctioned Rs.10000/- per Anganwadi Centre. A sum of `3.23 crore was sanctioned for
providing drinking water facility in 3230 Anganwadi Centres for the year 2020-21. A sum of
Rs.1.03 crore is provided in BE 2021-22 for provision of drinking water facility within the
anganwadi premises.

(e) Modernisation of anganwadi centres by providing Gas connection

and Pressure Cooker to Anganwadi Centres.

To create smoke free and environment friendly atmosphere in the anganwadi centre, to save the
cooking time and to cook the food without any loss of nutrition, the scheme of Modernising the
Anganwadi centre by providing One Gas Connection, Gas Stove, and Pressure Cooker, was
introduced in 3 districts on a pilot basis during the year 2006-2007. As on date except 5
anganwadi centres located in interior remote area the remaining 54434 anganwadi centres have
been modernized in phased manner by utilizing the funds of various schemes.

(f) Annual Maintenance Grant to Anganwadi Centres.

During the year 2020-21 a sum of Rs.12.33 crore was sanctioned to carry out minor repair
works, procurement of kitchen utensils etc., to the 41133 Anganwadi Centres functioning in Own
Building @ Rs.3000/- per centre. A sum of Rs.12.33 crore is provided in BE 2021-22 towards
Annual Maintenance Grant to the Anganwadi centres functioning in Government own buildings.

48
(g) Equipment and Furniture to Anganwadi Centres

Anganwadi centres in Tamil Nadu are being provided with Equipment and furniture from the
year 2019-20 onwards in a phased manner. During the year 2019-20 and 2020-21, totally 21776
Anganwadi Centres (19800 Main Anganwadi Centres @ Rs.10000/- per Centre and to 1976 Mini
Centres @ Rs.7000/- per Centre) have been provided with equipment and furniture at the total
cost of Rs.20.62 crore. For the year 2021-22, a sum of Rs.10.59 crore is provided in the budget
for provision of equipment and furniture to 9900 Main Anganwadi Centres and 988 Mini
Anganwadi Centres.

Innovative Scheme - Provision of Fire Extinguisher to 7942

Anganwadi Centres

As an Innovative and pre-cautionary measure, in order to avoid any untoward incident in the
anganwadi centres due to fire and to ensure the safety of the children/staff/records/food materials
etc., it has been decided to provide fire extinguishers to all anganwadi centres in a phased
manner. In the first phase, a sum of Rs.1.66 crore has been sanctioned for provision of one fire
extinguisher to 7942 anganwadi centres during the year 2020-21.

SCHEME FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS (SAG)

This is a special intervention Scheme for Adolescent girls which aims to facilitate, educate and
empower them to become self-reliant and self-sustaining individuals. The scheme covers out of
School Adolescent girls in the age group of 11-14 years. The scheme has Nutrition and Non –
Nutrition components. In the Nutrition component, out of school adolescent girl in the age group
of 11 - 14 years are registered in Anganwadi Centre are provided with 165 gm of
Complementary food (Sathu maavu) in the form of Take Home Ration (THR) per day for 300
days in a year. The scheme also gives on thrust on motivating out of school girls in the age group
of 11-14 years to go back to formal schooling or skill training aspects and providing supporting
environment for self-development.

The other services under the non-nutrition component of the scheme are Iron and folic Acid
(IFA) supplementation, Health check-up and referral services, Nutrition, Health education, Life
skill education and Guidance on accessing public services. The Government has allotted Rs. 30.0
lakh for the non-nutrition component of the scheme for Adolescent girls during the year 2021 -
2022.

National Crèche Scheme

Crèches play a vital role in safe guarding children of working mothers between the age group of
6 months to 6 years and also in empowering women to take up employment. It is also as
important intervention towards protection and development of children in the age group of 6
months to 6 run by Non-Governmental Organizations with a fund sharing pattern of 60:30:10
(Government of India : State Government : NGO) as per the Government of India guidelines. A
sum of Rs.6.49 crore is provided in Budget Estimate 2021-22.

49
TRAINING:

The importance of Training and continuous capacity building of the ICDS functionaries for
improving the quality of services delivery in ICDS has always been recognised as vital for the
success of the programme in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu follows a decentralised pattern of training
procedure and conducts residential training programmes for Job training of CDPOs, Instructress
of Anganwadi Training centres and Grade 2 Supervisors at State Training Institute, Taramani.
The State Training Institute is equipped with faculties infrastructure teaching learning materials
and field experience support. The training institute is supported with hostel inside the campus.
Job training for the Anganwadi Workers and orientation training to Anganwadi helpers are
conducted at the sector level in a unique cost effective method, by the block training team which
consists of CDPO, Grade-I Supervisors and representatives from Health and School Education
departments.

Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices is the most crucial component in the training
programme of field functionaries to equip their knowledge on the early initiation of breast
feeding, exclusive breast feeding, timely introduction of complementary foods after the age of
six months and about usage of mother and Child protection Card as a learning tool. A self-
monitoring tool on IYCF practices was prepared and distributed to the 1,60,820 numbers of
mothers and caregivers of birth to 2 year children in Ariyalur, Chennai, Dindigul, Nilgiris and
Villupuram districts as First phase basis to improve the IYCF practices of the community.

The ICDS functionaries are also given need based trainings through various Government
organisations such as Anna Institute of Management, Kirishi Vigyan Kendras, Institute of Chid
Health and Natesan Institute of Co-operative Management. During this Covid 19 period, various
online trainings are imparted to CDPOs and Supervisors in coordination with National Institute
of Public cooperation and Child Development, Bangaluru and New Delhi. Job training has been
given to 275 Grade II Supervisors, 80 Instructress of Anganwadi centres, 410 Anganwadi
workers and 805 Anganwadi helpers. A sum of Rs.5.52 crore has been provided in the Budget
for conducting the training programme during the year 2021- 2022.

Information, Education and Communication (IEC)

Information, Education and Communication activities of the ICDS aims to create awareness,
motivates attitudinal change, and bring about positive behavior change and there by contributing
towards reduction of malnutrition in the community. The main objective of IEC is to promote
and support appropriate changes in behavior especially among the vulnerable high-risk
population in the areas of maternal, child care and feeding practices and to mobilize community
participation and support for other project activities. Effective materials and clear messages
pertaining to Nutrition and Health that can be communicated easily are used to kindle the interest
of all the stake holders and the local community.Varied IEC activities like conduction of
Samudhaya Valaikaappu, Traditional food festivals, workshop for PRI members, street plays by
village artists are being conducted towards creating awareness on ICDS scheme activities,
mother and child development, health and nutrition among public care givers and other stake
holders. Continuous Home visits and interpersonal counseling are being done to ensure the reach
and practice of various messages on maternal and child development. Community awareness

50
events such as rallies, walkathons, musical concerts, ect., are conducted for creating awareness
among the public and community at large. Multimedia platforms are also being used to
disseminate information on Child Rights, health, nutrition & preschool education aspects, etc.

Information and education is provided through print media by publishing related issues in the
bimonthly Newsletter “CHITTUKURUVI SEIDHI THERIYUMA” published by the
department to provide opportunity to strengthen the work environment and reflects the value of
the scheme. It also serves as a forum to enable cross learning and share best practices and
the innate talents of field functionaries are effectively displayed. Printed materials like posters,
pamphlets, flip charts, dangler kits, and stickers with messages related to nutrition, health and
education of mother and children are being distributed to all Anganwadi centres, towards
creating awareness among the parents, care givers and community.

Video and Audio “JINGLES” about the varied mother and child care services rendered at the
Anganwadi centres are prepared and aired throughout the State through various Mass media
platforms like TV, YouTube, Facebook, etc. Exhibitions are conducted at various levels
throughout the State on the importance of sanitation health, nutrition of mother and child and
other public health care massages.

AADHAR ENROLMENT IN ICDS

Aadhaar enrolment of Children 0-5+ years have been carried out through the Department of
ICDS from December 2018. 434 Child Development Project Offices have been notified as
Aadhaar enrolment centres. The Child Development Project Officers, Supervisors and
Anganwadi workers who have cleared Aadhaar Online examination are being associated with
UIDAI in enrolling Aadhaar for children through the department of ICDS. At present 2321
Aadhaar enrolment Operators are in the field and enrolment of Aadhaar for children is being
continued across the state.

In accordance with the 7th pay commission recommendations, the Anganwadi employees
working in 54,439 Anganwadi centres in Tamil Nadu are given with the special time scale of pay
The Anganwadi Employees are also provided with an annual increment along with Dearness
Allowance, House Rent Allowance, City Compensatory Allowance, Medical Allowance , Hill allowance
and winter allowance.

In this regard Tamil Nadu Government is incurring additional Expenditure as follows:

Lump sum grant Rs.1, 00,000/- for AWW and Rs.50, 000/- for AWH issued during their
retirement since 01.10.2017. Special Pension Rs.2, 000/- per month issued to AWW, AWH &
Mini AWW since 01.10.2017. Two sets of uniform Sarees are provided every year to the
anganwadi employees at a cost of Rs.400/- per Saree. Anganwadi employees are eligible to avail
one week summer holidays.

Designation summer holidays

51
1. AWW 2nd week of May
2. AWH 3rd week of May
3. Mini AWW 4th week of May
Anganwadi employees are eligible to avail 180 days maternity leave
For two live births

Differently able Anganwadi employees are provided with Rs.2500/- per

Month for conveyance allowance.
o Family benefit fund to Rs.3.00 lakh is given to the deceased Anganwadi
employees while in service Special GPF scheme has been implemented for the
Anganwadi employees from the year 2015

o The Anganwadi employees are eligible to avail voluntary retirement on

Medical grounds with retirement benefits. Anganwadi workers below 42 years of
age with 2 years’ experience are eligible to undergo VHN (Village Health Nurse)
Training and subsequent

Postings:

The Anganwadi Helper, who have completed 10 years of service with

Qualifying Xth standard examination is eligible for promotion as AWWs on
Seniority.

Integrated Child Development Services, is to set a positive impact on

The health and nutrition of the vulnerable Children, Adolescent girls and
Women and there by developing the Health and Education of the society.
This mission, when achieved will render a progressive society which will have
Strong improvement in the Socio Economic Index of the State.

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 co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various
departments to promote child development; and.

As a part of the capacity building efforts, the Ministry of Women & Child Development
has recommended policy related and institutional transformations. The strategy is to
develop Anganwadi as a “vibrant early childhood development centre” by giving greater
focus on under three years children, strengthening early childhood education, and by
ensuring care and counseling of mothers and family. In addition, the Ministry is planning
to improve the supplementary nutrition services; creating Anganwadi based crèches
centers; intensify monitoring, and training activities; to develop linkages with different
stakeholders such as Pan-chayati Raj Institutions and ministry of rural development.

52
In the mission to enhance and compound the benefit of services delivered under ICDS,
Government of India has developed partnerships with the international agencies like
United Nations International Children’ Emergency Fund (for providing technical
guidance in developing need-based training plans; assist in organizing scientific
workshops; and in impact assessment on early childhood nutrition and development),
Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (contribution in the areas of maternal
and child health, girl primary education, etc.), and World Food Program (viz. to expand
the delivery of services in selected districts of some of the states of the country).

53
 CHAPTER:4

Pre-school education (PSE)

Pre-school education (PSE) is one of the crucial components of the ICDS scheme. This aims at
development of school readiness and a positive attitude towards school education among
children of the age group of three to six years through non-formal and joyful play way activities
at Anganwadi Centers (AWCs). Pre-school, which comprises Early Childhood Care and

54
Education (ECCE), enrols children in nursery (infant’s upto three years), lower kindergarten
(LKG) (three to four yours olds) and upper kindergarten (UKG) (four to five year olds). This
caters to infants and children upto six years of age. Preschool education, or pre-primary
education, is the initial formal educational experience a child undergoes before entering primary
school. It typically caters to children between the ages of 3 and 6, whose minds are like sponges,
ready to absorb knowledge, skills, and social experiences. Pre-primary education is defined as
the initial stage of organised instruction designed primarily to introduce very young children to a
school-type environment, that is, to provide a bridge between the home and a school-based
atmosphere.

The best age for preschool typically ranges from 3 to 4 years old. At this age, children have developed
basic social and cognitive skills, such as following instructions and engaging in play. Preschool provides
a structured learning environment that promotes early literacy, numeracy, and socialization, setting a
strong foundation for future education. Sending a 2.5-year-old to preschool depends on various factors.
While some children benefit from early socialization and structured learning, others may need more time
at home. Consider your child’s developmental readiness, socialization needs, and family dynamics before
making any decision. Consulting with educators or professionals can provide personalized guidance.

Nursery programs can be beneficial for 2-year-olds as they provide early socialization, exposure to
structured learning, and age-appropriate activities. However, it is important to assess the child’s
individual readiness, developmental milestones, and family circumstances before enrolling. Consulting
with educators or professionals can help determine whether a nursery is suitable for a specific child or
not.

To prepare your 2-year-old for preschool, focus on developing their independence, socialization, and
early learning skills. Encourage self-help tasks like dressing and using the toilet. Arrange play dates to
promote social interactions. Engage the child in activities that develop fine motor skills, early literacy,
and basic numeracy.

Let’s start by taking a look at children aged 3 to 6. Children go through tremendous cognitive,
physical, and social growth at this age. They are curious, thirsty for knowledge, and ready to
study at this age. A strong foundation for future learning can be laid by preschool education,
which can support this interest. Preschools include a variety of instructional activities that assist
children’s cognitive and motor abilities develop, such as storytelling, singing, drawing, and
playing.

Preschool & Cognitive Development

55
Research has shown that children who attend preschools have better cognitive and socio-
emotional skills. At this age, kids are still learning how to communicate and express their
emotions. Preschoolers learn how to engage with people, share, and take turns by

Interacting with their peers and teachers. Preschools also offer a regulated setting where kids can
learn self-control, cooperation, and teamwork.

It is also seen that children attending preschool show more confidence and perform better
academically in their later years. Additionally, preschool education has also been associated with
better mental health outcomes in kids, including reduced anxiety and fewer behavioral issues.

Early Childhood Education: Yes or No?

Now let’s talk about early childhood education. While it may be tempting to enroll a child as
early as possible, it is recommended that toddlers should not be enrolled in preschool. Toddlers
need to spend time with their parents, learn through play, and explore their surroundings. It is
crucial for parents to spend time with their toddlers and provide a nurturing environment to
support their development.

The perfect age for a child to get admitted to preschool is between 3 to 6 years of age. Preschool
education provides a solid foundation for future learning, helps children develop socio-emotional
skills, and has been linked to better mental health outcomes in children. However, parents should
not rush to enroll toddlers in preschool and instead spend quality time with them to support their
development.

Children are the first agenda of human resource development not only because young children are the
most vulnerable, but also because the foundation for lifelong learning and human development is laid in
these crucial early years. It is now globally acknowledged that investment in human resources
development is a pre-requisite for economic development of any nation1. Early childhood (the first six
years) constitutes the most crucial period in life, when the foundations are laid for cognitive, social,
emotional, physical development and cumulative life-long learning.

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. The program of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) was
launched in 1975, seeking to provide an integrated package of services in a convergent manner for the
holistic development of the country with 33 projects on an experimental basis, ICDS has expanded
considerably in subsequent years and at present, there are 7074 sanctioned projects, 6463 operational
projects in India2 .

Kumar (2009)3 highlighted the fact that the number of operational project had increased from 4608 in
March 2002 to 5262 in March 2004, the number of children (3-6 years) attending preschool education
had increased from 166.56 lakh in March 2002 to 204.38 lakh in March 2004 during Tenth Five Years
Plan. Gupta et al. (2013)4 found that since its inception, ICDS has expanded rapidly in its scope and
coverage and total it covers approximately 36 million children less than six years of age at the end of
2012.It is perhaps the only country-wide program in the world functioning on a large scale, requiring
multi sectorial operations and inter sectorial linkage for its implementation, Up to 31.01.2013, pre-

56
school education service is being provided to about 34665683 lakh beneficiaries, comprising of about
17673362 lakh boy children and about 16992321 lakh girl children through a network of about 1331076
lakh operational AnganwadiCentres5 .

ICDS is a unique program, which encompasses the main component of human resource development
especially education. Under ICDS, a package of services, including supplementary nutrition,
immunization, health checkup and referral services is provided to children below six years of age and
expectant and nursing mothers. Non formal pre-school education is imparted to children in the age
group of 3 to 6 years. Rattan (1997)6 gave details about genesis, growth, components of ICDS and
described a package of seven services comprising supplementary nutrition, immunization, health
checkups, referral services, treatment of illness, nutrition and health education and non- formal pre-
school education which are provided under ICDS.

Pre-school education is very important activity of the ICDS Program. This focuses on the total
development of the children from 3 to 6 years. Children 3-6 years have the benefit of non-formal pre-
school education through the institution of Anganwadi set up in each village. Non formal preschool
education is the most joyful play-way daily activity, visibly sustained for three hours a day. It does not
impart formal learning but develops in the child desirable attitudes, values and behavior patterns and
aim at providing environmental stimulation. Good pre-school education increases cognitive abilities,
school achievements and improve class behavior among children.

In order to achieve the objectives, ICDS beneficiary children between 3 to 6 years of Barnala District of
the state of Punjab form the universe of the study. Two ICDS projects of Barnala District namely, Barnala
ICDS project and Sehna ICDS project were selected for the study. Further 10 Anganwadi centers from
each ICDS project were selected on the basis of random sampling. From each Anganwadi, 06 children
each between 3 to 6 years of age were selected randomly. So, total 120 beneficiary children were
selected from all 20 Anganwadi centres. Total 20 Anganwadi workers (one from each Anganwadi Centre)
were also selected for study.

The present study is primarily based on primary sources of information. For primary data, responses
were elicited from the chosen sample through open and close ended questions in the Schedule followed
by personal interviews. Schedules were designed in English and for the convenience of the respondents,
they were translated in Punjabi which is common language spoken in the Barnala district. Observation
method was also used during personal visits to AWCs. Besides this, secondary sources of information
like books, articles, and newspaper clippings, articles in research journals, websites and reports were
also consulted to collect the factual data concerning the study. The data from the total sample of 120
children from 3-6 years of age and 20 Anganwadi workers was edited. The data collected was analyzed
manually and tabulated.

Pre-School Kit:
In developmentally appropriate Early Childhood Education (ECE) programmers, the presence of play and
learning materials has a very important role. Young children learn through play and by interacting with
their immediate environment. We can make their environment stimulating by providing a range of
developmentally appropriate play and learning materials to encourage inquisitiveness, imagination and
promote a sound foundation for learning. Availability and accessibility to variety of materials can
support the child’s holistic development which includes physical and motor skills, cognitive skills,
language and communication skills, socio-emotional development and creativity.

57
 Given the importance of play and play materials, ICDS has made a provision of Pre-School Education Kit
in Anganwadi centers. In this context, this document has been prepared after reviewing the existing
literature on ECE.

GUIDELINES REGARDING PRE–SCHOOL EDUCATION KIT Note:

Since there may be financial constraints, it may be necessary to priorities which materials to procure.
Materials have therefore been categorized in this booklet by type of activity to assist in ensuring that
materials procured cover different types of activities. Teachers/Anganwadi workers need to train in
appropriate use of materials cost as well as development of low cost materials

PLAY AND LEARNING MATERIALS SHOULD BE

 Multi-purpose and multi-domain to foster holistic development — all domains such as sensory,
fine and gross motor, cognitive, social, emotional, personal, and creativity need to be fostered.
 Safe for children (Non-toxic material and colors, smooth edges and large enough to prevent
swallowing).
 Durable and sturdy.
 Culturally and environmentally appropriate.
 Balanced to equip different activity corners.
 Easy to view.
 Posters and conversation charts should be placed at eye level for children.
 Adequate in quantity, with a variety of different materials available.
 There should not be too few, preventing all children from playing, nor too many, preventing
children from learning to share, cooperate and wait for their turn.
 Easily accessible to children so that they can use and choose the material during free play and
individual activities.
 They should be encouraged and expected to put away the material as part of their routine.

RECOMMENDED LIST OF PLAY AND LEARNING MATERIALS FOR PRE–

SCHOOL EDUCATION KIT (PSE KIT)
This document is intended to provide guidance in selecting appropriate play and learning materials that
support holistic child development and early learning.

Play and learning materials for pre-school education can be categorized as follows:

1. Material to be procured from the market.

2. Material which can be prepared by Teacher/Anganwadi Worker during training or on their own.

3. Locally available low cost or no cost material in the environment.

58
Material to be procured from the market ƒ
 Building block set (basic shapes that vary in colour, size and thickness)
 Colorful beads and wires
 Modeling materials (e.g., dough, clay, etc.)
 Lacing board.
 Balls of varying sizes.
 Simple puzzles (e.g., jigsaw puzzle, colour puzzle, body parts puzzle and shape puzzle,
etc.)
 Magnifying glass.
 Magnets of varying strength
 Dot and number dominoes.
 Alphabet and number cards.
 Picture cards or flash cards.
 Picture books with one or two text lines.
 Story books.
 Dhapli or small drum.
 Picture conversation chart.
 Soft toys (e.g., dolls, etc.)
 Kitchen set.
 Doctor set.
 Plastic fruits and vegetables.
 Plastic balance scale.
 Measuring cups of various sizes.
 Variety of containers (e.g., bowls, buckets, jugs, etc.)
 Variety of tools (e.g., spoons, funnels, measuring cups, spoons/cups, paint brushes, etc.).
 Variety of paper (newsprint, glazed, recycled paper, etc.).
 Crayons, markers, coloured pencils, coloured chalk.
 Paste, Glue, Tape, Ropes, Blunt scissors, Mats.
The first year of a child's existence is extremely important. These years affect a child's chances
of surviving and prospering in life, as well as laying the groundwork for learning and holistic
development. Children develop the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional abilities they need
to succeed in life during their early years. Though the mother provides the child's first education,
the concept of pre-primary education provided by an organised institution other than the child's
household is not new. Children's future success at school, in their lives, and in the nation as a
whole is shaped by their early years.
"The development of a nation is dependent on the development of men and women, and the
development of men and women is heavily influenced by what is done to children. It is,
therefore, of considerable importance that we pay attention to the well-being and progress of
children.” Sri Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, said as much. The ICDS Program's
primary activity is pre-school education. This focuses on a child's overall development up to the
age of six. Anganwadis, which are set up in each community, provide non-formal preschool
education to children aged 3-6 years. Non formal pre-school education is the most pleasurable

59
daily activity, visible for three hours every day. It does not provide formal education, but it does
foster positive attitudes, values, and behaviour patterns in children, as well as provide
environmental stimulation. Preschool education improves children's cognitive abilities, academic
achievement, and classroom behaviour.
In every community across the country, AWCs have been established. This is also the most
enjoyable play way activity on a daily basis. Its programme for children aged three to six in the
Anganwadi focuses on providing and assuring a natural, pleasant, and stimulating environment,
with an emphasis on the necessary inputs for optimal growth and development. The ICDS's early
learning component is a critical component in laying a solid foundation for lifetime learning and
development. It also contributes to the universalization of primary education by giving children
the essential preparation for primary school and providing alternative care for younger siblings,
allowing older siblings – particularly girls – to attend school. The goal of pre-school education is
to help children develop a healthy physique, muscle coordination, and basic motor skills.

 Developing a child's intellectual curiosity so that he can explore, invest, experiment, and
learn about his world.
 Emotional maturity is achieved by encouraging people to express, comprehend, accept,
and control their feelings and emotions.
 Moral and cultural values in order to be truthful, obedient, and respectful to elders. 
Self-assurance and self-discipline.
 Ability to speak fluently, correctly, and clearly in order to express thoughts and feelings.
 Personality development through a variety of learning opportunities.
 Live and play with others while controlling inherent aggressiveness and destructiveness
with a social attitude, group manners, and sharing things with others.
 Personal adjustment, toilet training, clothing, eating, cleaning, and other good habits and
skills.
Anganwadis from the Samba ICDS project and 10 Anganwadis from the Vijaypur ICDS project.
A total of 30 Anganwadi staff was chosen for the study (one from each Anganwadi Centre). The
current research relies heavily on primary sources of data. Responses were gathered from the
selected sample using open and closed ended questions in the Schedule, followed by personal
interviews, for primary data. The schedules were created in English and then translated into
Punjabi for the respondents' convenience. Punjabi is a widely spoken language in the Jammu
district.
Observation was used during personal visits to AWCs as well. In addition, secondary sources of
information such as books, articles, and newspaper clippings, research journal articles, websites,
and reports were used to gather factual data for the study. The data was modified from a total
sample of 30 Anganwadi staff. The information gathered was carefully analyzed and
summarised.
The first five years of a child's life play a crucial impact in their learning, according to emerging
evidence from the fields of neuroscience, social science, and psychology. According to new
research, the environment has a significant impact on children's development." As a result, it
goes without saying that addressing the needs of children through ICDS and its more effective
execution should be given top importance. A positive pre-school experience has the potential to

60
have a significant impact on children's learning and development. It may be inferred that for a
child's healthy growth and development, the focus should be on child-centered curriculum. The
government should conduct aggressive campaigns using television, drama, folk music, theatre,
and other media to raise awareness, particularly among the rural population, about the long-term
benefits of the ICDS scheme's pre-school education programme.
Young children learn through play and by interacting with their immediate environment. We can
make their environment stimulating by providing a range of developmentally appropriate play
and learning materials to encourage inquisitiveness, imagination and promote a sound foundation
for learning. Availability and accessibility to variety of materials can support the child’s holistic
development which includes physical and motor skills, cognitive skills, language and
communication skills, socio-emotional development and creativity. As per the Ministry of
Women and Child development norms and guidelines there is a provision for providing PSE-Kit
at the anganwadi center.
The states may have the option of providing more than one kit or an enhanced kit with more
components or qualitatively better components/materials or having age appropriate TLM
(Teaching and learning material) in one or more kits or any other combination with the help of
volunteer organization. So as a volunteer organization our project has some budget for enriching
the early learning resource material at the anganwadi center. Preschool education learning
materials were arranged or prepared as per the need of AWCs and also concern with the
department.
We prepared two lists for preschool education Kit with reference to the recommended list for
preschool education by MWCD. One for those learning materials which were procured from the
market and second for low cost and material which were prepared from locally available or from
the waist material. And also, for full filling the stationary need for preschool education at the
AWC, they have minimal budget for preschool education from the department.
The Anganwadi Workers will be trained on use of the PSE kit and will be supported by the
community mobilisers during home visits and during parents’ meetings. Trained Anganwadi
Workers with the support of the community mobilisers during the Dissemination workshop, then
anganwadi workers will train the parents/caregivers on making toys using indigenous material
available at home during interactive session or parents meeting.
The procurement of raw materials for developing the kits done by Satan. Further Use of
technology -Informative and engaging audios videos will be developed during coaching and
meeting with AWWs and parents/caregivers by the community mobilizers which will later be
shared with AWW or Supervisor who can download on her mobile and can use for children
coming to the AWC Technology can be used for wider display after the dissemination workshop.

 To create prototypes of kits that can be developed using low-cost material.

• To enrich the early learning resources/materials for Anganwadi workers this will help them to
organize stimulating/learning opportunities/activities for children at the center.
• To help AWW in coaching parents for creating home based early learning resources through
interactive session, workshop and training.

61
• Use of technology to support AWW to disseminate the PSE activities at their centers.
• Provision of guidelines or handouts for wider dissemination.
Desk review and Identification preschool learning material

Firstly, studied the available guidelines on early learning materials and recommended materials
for preschool education. Also studies the provision of preschool education materials at AWCs as
per the MWCD and state guidelines and assess the need of the Aangnwadi center for PSE-Kit
materials. Then Sort out and categorized the play and learning materials (Readymade as well as
handmade) for PSE-Kit as per the domains of preschool education with reference to MWCD
guidelines. Prepared two detailed lists of materials for learning after discussion with ICDS
department and finalized as per their suggestion and also check the budget which material can be
procured or not. Then finalized the list of materials as per the need of the centers and prescribed
budget for kit. These materials are procured from the market and prepared form the locally
available material.
Procurement of the readymade materials and prepared guidelines for developing locally available
materials

Firstly, checked out the availability of readymade play and learning materials which can be
procured in the market. For procurement as per prescribed budget under Parents+ programme
followed the procurement process of organization i.e collected the quotations from 3-4 vender.
Then finalized the vender who gave the quality material in prescribed budget and procured the
materials. Secondly prepared the guided book for preparing handmade play and learning
materials for PSE-Kit. This book gives the idea to AWWs regarding how play and learning
materials will be prepared from the locally available material. And also prepare the guidelines
for readymade material which will be gives the idea about the use of the material for preschool
activities.
Dissemination workshop

Organize a workshop to orient the AWWs regarding Readymade and handmade early learning
materials and usage of this material during preschool educational activities at Anganwadi center.
During workshop handover the kit to the selected AWWs which will help them to organize
stimulating/learning opportunities/activities for children at the center and also demonstrate the
handmade materials by preparing and using for preschool activities.

Provision of Pre- School Education Kit for Anganwadi Centers

The Pre- School Education component under ICDS Scheme is a crucial component of the
package of service envisaged under the Scheme. It aims at school readiness and development of
positive attitudes towards education. Strengthening of preschool education would also
supplement the effort in achieving the national goal of universal primary education.
The preschool education in Anganwadi Centers is provided through non formal and play-way
methods by joyful learning. The age group of 3-6 years can be termed as school preparatory
stage where the emphasis should be on development of language, cognitive and social domains

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of development along with motor and muscular development. The child can be guided to develop
pre number concepts such as differences between more and less, thick and thin, far and near etc.
During this age, concept formation and language development also need to be facilitated by
organizing activities like playing with dolls/ toys, role play, sharing his/her possessions with
others] personnel hygiene, identification of objects etc. a joyful learning atmosphere should be
created by program planning, development of age specific teaching materials and learning aids.
The objective of the PSE is also to strengthen the goal of universalization of primary education.
Young children learn through play and by interacting with their immediate environment. By
offering a variety of developmentally appropriate play and learning materials, we can make their
environment engaging in order to encourage curiosity and imagination as well as a strong
educational foundation. FIGURE 3 ECD-EXPERT FACILITATING SESSION (Source:
https://wcd.nic.in/sites/default/files/Pre-School%20Education%20Kit.pdf). Keeping this in mind
session on developing low-cost material was facilitated by ECDExpert. It was shared that these
toys are easy and affordable to be developed and play with them. The fact that these toys cost
nothing and are made of the simplest materials, often recycled ones, does not mean that they are
inferior to the highpriced factory-made ones. These toys are relatively safe considering the
Indian home environment.
Teachers usually make these from discarded materials which they handle in any case. Tools
such as knives. scissors, needles, etc. are also available at home. At what age is a child allowed
to handle a knife. needle or pair of scissors? Is the use of these tools risky all through childhood?
In fact, the making of these toys provides an opportunity to handle materials and tools with due
care and adequate precautions. It is one of the most important aspects of growing up.
But, in the making of certain toys by children, there is an element of risk. So teachers/parents
will help the children and prepare under proper supervision of elders. Here teachers and
guardians can guide the child and gradually encourage her/him to handle tools with care and
precaution. In this session as per the use of toys or their material we divided it in to following
groups.

Sound and music:

Every movement we hear some sounds. Our voice and those of our family and friends. The
singing of birds, the chirping of insects, the knock at the door, the cry of a child, the gentle patter
of rain, the frightening clap of the thunder, the crack of lightning or the croak of the frogs. How
exhilarating it is to hear the rhythmic beats of a drum and the sounds produced by numerous
musical instruments playing in harmony.
The toys were prepared under sound and music section described and illustrated that how
different sounds are produced."

Spells of Motion
A toy paper fan could well have provided the inspiration for the present-day electric fans used in our
homes. Similarly, the dramatic invention of the airplane must have inspired the design of the paper
airplanes used as toys. A simple paper kite has much in common with the airplane as far as its ability to
fly is concerned. The simple wheel and cart toy have a direct link with the transport devices developed

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during the history of mankind. Very much as in the case of airplanes, motor cars and helicopters, etc.
What is illustrated in the next few devices brings out the fact that these very simple toys are the seedlings
of science, technology and design and how simple innovative toys can provide both fun and action.

1. Paper pipe.

2. Leaf pipe.

3. Paper whistle.

4. Paper whistle.

5. Pen cap whistle.

6. Paper and leaf clapper.

7. Leaf crackers.

10. Paper bag cracker.

11. Matchbox Drum and Rattle.

12. Tictacking matchsticks.

Teaching learning materials:

Teaching can be made engaging or joyful by using materials available in the surrounding environment,
such as clay, leaves, flowers and other natural objects that you can collect and you can prepare yourself,
such as old box /match boxes covers or medium-sized stones are colored, sometime use a piece of cloth,
etc. the worker can prepare some worksheets own at personal level or children's levels.

We can make a variety of objects for children to use for number understanding or letter recognition,
which can be changed according to the level of learning of children. For example

• Collect three colored stones or lids which can be used when teaching counting or making sense of colors
or matching.

• Hard card paper pieces or paper boxes painted with numbers and letters of different sizes and use.

Early childhood, a critical phase in human development, demands adequate support, education, and
healthcare for children. During the first five years, children undergo rapid growth, forming essential
neural pathways crucial for cognitive development. This period also shapes their physical well-being,
influenced by factors like nutrition and environment. However, children are vulnerable to negative
impacts, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds. To address this, the Indian government
launched the Anganwadi program in 1975, aiming to provide child and maternal care and combat hunger,
and malnutrition. Presently, India has numerous operational Anganwadi centers, ensuring inclusive child
development.

Anganwadi centres primarily cater to children aged 0–6 years, serving as vital components of
India’s public healthcare system. Beyond healthcare, they significantly contribute to early
education and holistic child development.

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These centers play a pivotal role in various child development activities, offering accessible and
affordable healthcare services. Anganwadi workers possess valuable insights into local health
issues and effectively communicate community programs due to their strong community
connections.

Furthermore, Anganwadis play a crucial role in combating malnutrition nationwide, ensuring

equitable access to government programs addressing malnutrition, infant mortality, community
health concerns, lack of child education, and preventable diseases across India.

THE ROLE OF ANGANWADI CENTERS IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Anganwadi centers play a crucial role in early schooling for rural children, aligning with the
National Education Policy’s focus on early childhood care and education. Various challenges
hinder effective education delivery. Limited attention to pre-primary education results from
factors such as inadequate training, lack of proper infrastructure, and overwhelming duties for
Anganwadi workers.

Preschool Education

Anganwadi centers offer a variety of educational activities to ready children for school. They
prioritize learning through playful engagement, which supports the development of children
across various dimensions, including social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and aesthetic
domains.

Nutrition

Anganwadi centers provide supplementary food, offering hot meals consisting of mixed pulses,
cereals, oil, sugar, and iodized salt. Additionally, they may provide take-home rations. These
centers diligently monitor children’s physical growth, including height and weight. Moreover,
they extend their services to women ages 15 to 45, ensuring their nutritional and health needs are
met to effectively care for their children. This assistance is provided through counselling
sessions, home visits, and practical demonstrations.

Health

Health services provided by Anganwadi centers include immunization, primary healthcare, and
referral services. Anganwadi workers work alongside healthcare professionals to keep records,
encourage parents to participate, and arrange immunization sessions for children. These sessions
cover vaccinations for diseases like polio, DTP, measles, and TB. Additionally, they offer basic
healthcare support to expectant and new mothers during both antenatal and postnatal periods.
Referral services are vital for offering specialized care to malnourished, ill, or disabled children.
Anganwadi centers play a crucial role in referring such cases to medical officers for further
assistance.

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Anganwadi centers are essential in meeting rural children’s learning and health requirements in
India and supporting government programs. Therefore, the government, local communities, and
rural development NGOs in India need to extend their assistance to enhance the effectiveness of
these centers and to advance the larger aim of the national development.

A dedicated Village Development Committee (VDC) of 20–25 members, trained monthly on

various government topics, spearheaded the initiative. Concerned about the center’s dilapidated
state, the VDC advocated for its renovation to better serve the community. Now with its
refurbished infrastructure, the Anganwadi center provides enhanced services to children and
women, ensuring improved service delivery at the grassroots level.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is an indispensable foundation for lifelong learning
and development, and it has critical impact on success at the primary stage of education. ECCE
refers to programmes and provisions for children from prenatal to six years of age, which cater to
needs of a child in all domains of development i.e. physical, motor, language, cognitive, socio-
emotional, and creative and aesthetic appreciation; and ensure synergy with health and nutrition
aspects.

This would cover developmental priorities for each sub stage within the continuum, i.e. care,
early stimulation/interaction needs for children below 3 years, and developmentally appropriate
preschool education for 3 to 6 year olds with a more structured and planned school readiness
component for 5 to 6 year olds. It therefore becomes imperative to accord priority attention to
ECCE and invest adequately by providing commensurate resources. Sending children to
preschool therefore holds a significant importance in child’s life for his/her life-long term
development.

The fundamental idea of sending children to Anganwadi is to provide the children with
stimulating and enriching physical and psycho-social environment so as to form a foundation for
inculcation of social and personal habits and values that are known to lasts lifetime. Such early
habits inculcated in preschool years will shape his/her personality for the future. The use of
computers, mobile phones, tabs and other digital technologies continues to rise in early
childhood programs, and technology is being used as a tool for improving program quality in
many interesting ways. Similarly, mobile phone or a tab can act as one of the important teaching
tool.

The secret to integrating technology in the early childhood classroom is to view technology as
just another tool and another kind of material to teach specific skills and concepts. It must not be
a goal in and of itself (see Dos and Don’ts below). Use of technology in the classroom is
intended to expand, enrich, implement, individualize, differentiate, and extend the overall
curriculum. The AWW or Supervisor can download various audios and videos for children
coming to the AWC and make them listen whenever the time permits. One can download
different poems, rhymes, prayers, moral stories and show it to the children.

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This will not only be interesting but children will also enjoy different graphics and voice
modulations. The mobile can be connected 3 to different computers and big screen boards for
wider display. She can record or make video of good and innovative ECCE activities at her
AWC and can send to her counterparts for their use.

These days many activity and learning based apps are available in the play store. These can be
downloaded which can enhance the listening and writing skills of the kids. Phones or tabs can be
used to capture the children in action, their development milestone, play new songs, email or
Whatsapp photos of children to their families, and more.

Points to be kept in mind by AWW while planning the activities

 Activities should be planned according to the need and interest of the children.

 Attention span of the children should be kept in mind i.e. activity should not be planned for
more than 10-15 min.

 There should be appropriate space for the activity.

 Balance between indoor, outdoor, active- passive and group-individual activity should be
maintained.

 All developmental domains of children should be considered while planning activities.

 As far as possible activities should be planned as per the availability of locally available
material.

 Activities should be theme based.

 Activities should be planned with various modes/ methods so that interest of the children is
maintained

.  Provide first hand experiences. Points to be kept in mind while conducting the activities

 Make the children sit in a semi-circle so that eye contact is maintained with each child.

 Clear and specific instructions should be given to the children while conducting activity.

 Each child should be encouraged to participate in the activity.

 Provide appropriate guidance and support while conducting activity.

 Preparations should be made.

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 Environment should be conducive and safe for the activity.

 Transition from one activity to another should be smooth.

 While conducting activities various modes /methods should be used to retain the interest of the
children.

This includes supplementary feeding and growth monitoring; and prophylaxis against vitamin A
deficiency and control of nutritional anaemia. All families in the community are surveyed, to
identify children below the age of six and pregnant & nursing mothers. They avail of
supplementary feeding support for 300 days in a year. By providing supplementary feeding, the
Anganwadi attempts to bridge the caloric gap between the national recommended and average
intake of children and women in low income and disadvantaged communities.
Growth Monitoring and nutrition surveillance are two important activities that are undertaken.
Children below the age of three years of age 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 growth faltering and helps in assessing nutritional status. Besides,
severely malnourished children are given special supplementary feeding and referred to medical
services.

Launched on 2nd October 1975, today, ICDS Scheme represents one of the world’s largest and
most unique programmers for early childhood development.
ICDS is the foremost symbol of India’s commitment to her children – India’s response to the
challenge of providing pre-school education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of
malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning capacity and mortality, on the other.

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 malnutrition.
Immunization of pregnant women against tetanus also reduces maternal and neonatal mortality.

Health Check-ups:
This includes health care of children less than six years of age, antenatal care of expectant
mothers and postnatal care of nursing mothers. The various health services provided for children
by anganwadi workers and Primary Health Centre (PHC) staff include regular health check-ups,

68
recording of weight, immunization, management of malnutrition, treatment of diarrhea, de-
worming and distribution of simple medicines etc.

The Non-formal Pre-school Education (PSE) component of the ICDS may well be considered the
backbone of the ICDS programme, since all its services essentially converge at the anganwadi –
a village courtyard. Anganwadi Centre (AWC) – a village courtyard – is the main platform for
delivering of these services. These AWCs have been set up in every village in the country. In
pursuance of its commitment to the cause of India’s Children, present government has decided to
set up an AWC in every human habitation/ settlement. As a result, total number of AWC would
go up to almost 1.4 million.

This is also the most joyful play-way daily activity, visibly sustained for three hours a day. It
brings and keeps young children at the anganwadi centre - an activity that motivates parents and
communities. PSE, as envisaged in the ICDS, focuses on total development of the child, in the
age up to six years, mainly from the underprivileged groups. Its programme for the three-to six
years old children in the anganwadi is directed towards providing and ensuring a natural, joyful
and stimulating environment, with emphasis on necessary inputs for optimal growth and
development.
The early learning component of the ICDS is a significant input for providing a sound foundation
for cumulative lifelong learning and development. It also contributes to the universalization of
primary education, by providing to the child the necessary preparation for primary schooling and
offering substitute care to younger siblings, thus freeing the older ones – especially girls – to
attend school.

Nutrition and Health Education:

Nutrition, Health and Education (NHED) is a key element of the work of the anganwadi
worker. This forms part of BCC (Behaviour Change Communication) strategy. This has the
long term goal of capacity-building of women – especially 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.

ICDS is a Centrally-sponsored Scheme implemented through the State Governments/UT

Administrations. Prior to 2005-06, 100% financial assistance for inputs other than supplementary
nutrition, which the States were to provide out of their own resources, was being provided by the
Government of India. Since many States were not providing adequately for supplementary
nutrition in view of resource constraints, it was decided in 2005-06 to support to States up to
50% of the financial norms or to support 50% of expenditure incurred by them on supplementary
nutrition, whichever is less.

From the financial year 2009-10, Government of India has modified the funding pattern of ICDS
between Centre and States. The sharing pattern of supplementary nutrition in respect of North-

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 eastern States between Centre and States has been changed from 50:50 to 90:10 ratio. So far
as other States and UTs, the existing sharing pattern of 50:50 continues. However, for all other
components of ICDS, the ratio has been modified to 90:10(100% Central Assistance earlier).

Type of Supplementary Nutrition:

Children in the age group 0 – 6 months:

For Children in this age group, States/ UTs may ensure continuation of current guidelines of early
initiation (within one hour of birth) and exclusive breast-feeding for children for the first 6 months of
life.

Children in the age group 6 months to 3 years:

For children in this age group, the existing pattern of Take Home Ration (THR) under the ICDS
Scheme will continue. However, in addition to the current mixed practice of giving either dry or raw
ration (wheat and rice) which is often consumed by the entire family and not the child alone, THR
should be given in the form that is palatable to the child instead of the entire family.

Children in the age group 3 to 6 years:

For the children in this age group, State/ UTs have been requested to make arrangements to serve
Hot Cooked Meal in AWCs and mini-AWCs under the ICDS Scheme. Since the child of this age
group is not capable of consuming a meal of 500 calories in one sitting, the States/ UTs are advised
to consider serving more than one meal to the children who come to AWCs. Since the process of
cooking and serving hot cooked meal takes time, and in most of the cases, the food is served
around noon, States/ UTs may provide 500 calories over more than one meal. States/ UTs may
arrange to provide a morning snack in the form of milk/banana/ egg/ seasonal fruits/ micronutrient
fortified food etc.

Registration of beneficiaries:

Since BPL is no longer a criteria under ICDS, States have to ensure registration of all eligible
beneficiaries.

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The ICDS team comprises the Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers, Supervisors, Child
Development Project Officers (CDPOs) and District Programme Officers (DPOs). Anganwadi
Worker, a lady selected from the local community, is a community based frontline honorary worker of
the ICDS Programme.
She is also an agent of social change, mobilizing community support for better care of young
children, girls and women. Besides, the medical officers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and
Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) form a team with the ICDS functionaries to achieve
convergence of different services.

STATUS OF ANGANWADI WORKERS AND HELPERS:

Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) & Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs), being honorary workers, are paid
a monthly honoraria as decided by the Government from time to time. Government of India has
enhanced the honoraria of these Workers, w.e.f. 1.4.2008 by Rs.500 above the last honorarium drawn
by Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and by Rs.250 of the last honorarium drawn by Helpers of AWCs and
Workers of Mini-AWCs. Prior to enhancement, AWWs were being paid a monthly honoraria
ranging from Rs. 938/ to Rs. 1063/- per month depending on their educational qualifications and
experience. Similarly, AWHs were being paid monthly honoraria of Rs. 500/-

In addition to the honoraria paid by the Government of India, many States/UTs are also giving
monetary incentives to these workers out of their own resources for additional functions assigned
under other Schemes.

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72
CONCLUSION

The Anganwadi program fits into this vision of socially empowering women. It is a support to
them in their daily lives, allowing them to take part in various activities outside of the house and
go out to work, thus bringing in their own contribution to the household's finances and earning
the respect of their families. The Anganwadi can contribute to the wellbeing of the care takers in
this respect by providing a safe and clean place for the children, thus freeing the mind of mothers
from worry about their child.

To check the status, this study has explored the effects that the Anganwadi program is having on
the lives of the mothers and the elder siblings of the enrolled children. It is essential to know
whether Anganwadi centre are fulfilling their duties in real terms or not. Anganwadi centres have
very crucial role to play towards reducing fatigue, health problems and stress of the care taker
(mothers) by contributing to one of their important responsibilities, nurturing a small child, thus
giving them more time towards rest of their daily activities & family duties. This study has been
conducted to assess the impact of the Anganwadi program on three important facets of a person's
life (Impact on Well Being, Impact on materialistic aspects & Impact on participation within
community).

This study has shown that the impact on the mothers whose children are attending the Anganwadi is
altogether a positive one. They are less stressed and less tired and are able to more easily organize their
work and attend to their duties. Furthermore, they are able to generate more income for the household
through paid labor and by saving money on one meal a day. Although participation in formal meetings
does not seem to be affected by the Anganwadi, it turns out the latter is itself used as a social and
support platform.

The impact of the Anganwadi program on elder siblings, and namely the girl child, is more variable.
There is more awareness needed about the importance of education, also for girls; however the fate of
the girl child in the area under review is still very much tied to traditions and stereotypes.

In all the Anganwadi centres visited, the Anganwadi workers were doing an excellent job, running the
centre, stimulating the children with interesting activities and preparing nutritious food. There were
however two instances when I arrived to find a closed Anganwadi and one instance where I was not able
to go to the foreseen Anganwadi as it was closed that day. In all three cases, the absence of the
Anganwadi worker was justified.

In one case, the Anganwadi worker had gone to the hospital as her child was unwell, but due to the
severity of the problem, repeated visits to the hospital meant that for the weeks prior to the visit, the
Anganwadi had been regularly closed. In the second case, the Anganwadi was closed because the
Anganwadi worker was going to an area meeting, which she is obliged to attend. In the third case, the
Anganwadi worker had to attend a wedding in a nearby village. It also appeared that during the bi-
monthly Anganwadi worker meetings held at the block level, the Anganwadi centres remain closed for
the 2 days of the meeting.

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It is therefore recommended to investigate the possibility of a replacement Anganwadi worker so that
Anganwadi can stay open during Anganwadi worker meetings or if the she needs to be absent for
personal reasons (taking child to hospital or marriage in another place) thus permitting continuity in the
program. Also the need for an assistant Anganwadi worker was felt in Anganwadi centres where there
are a lot of children or where there are a large number of very young children that require more
personal attention.

One of the next projects within the Anganwadi program is to establish a curriculum and provide more
educational material for the older children between the ages of 3 and 5. This would help keep the
Anganwadi interesting for them while contributing to the start of basic education. This need was voiced
in some of the Anganwadi centres and therefore this project should be seen as an important next step.
Another need that was noted was that of small cradles for the smaller children.

Indeed, although the entry age to the Anganwadi is 1 year old, in some instances mothers bring their
children at the age of 8 months or sometimes even younger, because they need to go out and work as
paid labour. They felt that the facilities could be supplemented for these very young children.

The surveys in the Anganwadi centres have shown that they are already being used by women as an
informal platform to share their problems, socialize and support each other. It could therefore also be
used as a more formal platform in the event of awareness campaigns concerning women’s issues. This
would be a more relaxed setting than through meetings in a comity building. These informal meetings at
the Anganwadi could also be used to promote success stories of girls having achieved an education. This
could help slowly change the thinking concerning the role of the girl in a family, and that of women in
general.

While conducting interviews it has become apparent that MGNREGA cards are issued in the name of
husbands only, even when the woman is working on a project. This means that even though the women
are also working, their earnings go directly in the pocket of their husband.

In addition to this not being particularly positive for women empowerment, it is common knowledge
that women tend to spend money in a more responsible way, giving priority to the family and household
needs, while men are more likely to spend the money on unnecessary consumable goods such as
cigarettes or drinks, thus squandering not only their own money, but also that earned by the hard labour
of their spouse.

Although this is also a government scheme and not in the direct scope of what ICDS can change or
improve in it, something should be attempted to change this and have the women paid directly for their
labour.

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The Government of India launched Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) in
the year 1975 to prevent malnutrition in children, reduce infant mortality rate, and empower the
mothers to ensure holistic development of the child Currently, the ICDS scheme symbolizes one
of the most extensive and the unique initiative for safeguarding early childhood development,
catering to more than 100 million under-six year children under the different provisions available
in the scheme. In other words, ICDS reflects the country’s obligation to enhance the pre-school
education rates and an effective strategy to break the vicious cycle of malnutrition, infection and
mortality.

The ICDS scheme was introduced on a nationwide scale to upgrade the nutritional and health
status of children (0-6 years); to develop a framework for ensuring adequate physical,
psychological and social development of the child; to minimize the incidence of morbidity,
malnutrition, school dropout and mortality; to establish effective collaboration between different
departments working for promoting child development; and finally to enable mothers to
participate actively for meeting the health and nutritional needs of the child through proper
nutrition and health education.

A wide range of services encompassing supplementary nutrition; immunization services; health

check-ups for children less than six years of age; antenatal care of expectant mothers and
postnatal care of nursing mothers; referral services to the beneficiaries who are in the need of
prompt medical attention; non-formal pre-school education for children in the 3-6 years age
group; and nutrition & health education especially for the women in the 15-45 years age group
are provided to the beneficiaries.

The rationale to deliver a bunch of services is to mutually enhance the impact of a specific
service with the aid of other services in the long-run. To exercise the delivery of services
Anganwadi centres (AWCs) has been created in all regions of the country. All the AWCs are
manned by members from the ICDS team - consisting of Anganwadi helpers, Anganwadi
workers, Supervisors, Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) and District Program
Officers.

In the entire country, by the end of June 2013, 1373349 AWCs / mini-AWCs have been
sanctioned, of which around 1339410 (97.5%) are operational. As far as the vacancy status is
concerned, almost 33.9%, 35%, 7.1%, and 7.2% of CDPOs, Supervisors, Anganwadi workers
and Anganwadi helpers posts are still vacant in the country. Furthermore, in the year 2013,
around 8.48 core children and 1.9 core mothers have utilized the benefit of supplemental
nutrition services.

Monitoring and supervision is an integral component of ICDS scheme and is thus done at four
levels starting from the central, state, block and finally the village level. Overall, the Ministry of
Women and Child Development has been given the responsibility to coordinate monitoring at
different levels. Different indicator such as the number of beneficiaries enrolled in Anganwadi

75
centre for supplementary nutrition or for preschool education has been proposed to monitor the
implementation of the scheme in different Anganwadi centres of the country.

Since its launch the scheme has been reformed on the basis of different outcome indicators and
evaluation reports. Findings of a study revealed the positive impact on reducing the levels of
anemia in children between 6-60 months in India. In another study conducted in rural pocket of
Varanasi to evaluate the impact of ICDS on maternal nutrition and birth weight, it was concluded
that undernourished antenatal women are definitely benefitted by late pregnancy nutrition
supplement.

In the mission to enhance and compound the benefit of services delivered under ICDS,
Government of India has developed partnerships with the international agencies like United
Nations International Children’ Emergency Fund (for providing technical guidance in developing
need-based training plans; assist in organizing scientific workshops; and in impact assessment on
early childhood nutrition and development), Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere
(contribution in the areas of maternal and child health, girl primary education, etc.), and World
Food Program (viz. to expand the delivery of services in selected districts of some of the states of
the country)

As a part of the capacity building efforts, the Ministry of Women & Child Development has
recommended policy related and institutional transformations. The strategy is to develop
Anganwadi as a “vibrant early childhood development centre” by giving greater focus on under
three years children, strengthening early childhood education, and by ensuring care and
counseling of mothers and family. In addition, the Ministry is planning to improve the
supplementary nutrition services; creating Anganwadi based crèches centers; intensify
monitoring, and training activities; to develop linkages with different stakeholders such as Pan-
chayati Raj Institutions and ministry of rural development.

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QUESTIONNAIRE

INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR TEACHER/ WORKER IN ANGANWADI CENTRE’S FOR CHECKING QUALITY OF
EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION

NAME OF THE CENTRE:

DATE OF VISIT:

1. At what time do you open and close the centre?

2. How many children are enrolled in your centre?

3. How many children are present at the centre today?

4. Do you have any differently abled child enrolled in your centre?

If yes, how many?

5. How many workers are there in the centre?

6. What are the educational qualifications of the workers?

7. How often do you attend trainings

8. In what language do you teach the children?

9. How do you evaluate a child’s performance?

10. Do you keep a progress report card of the child?

11. Are the children taken for field trips or excursions?

12. Are health check-ups held at the centre?

How often?

13. Do you have any training in first aid?

14. Are you aware of the nearest hospitals or health centres from the centre?

15. Do you hold parent teacher meetings?

16. Do you visit the children’s homes?

17. Are you provided your basic office need (tables, chairs, books, learning materials etc.)

18. Do you get paid regularly?

19. Do the parents make any financial contributions towards the welfare of the centre?

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20. What are the challenges/problems faced by you at the centre

21. What measures can be taken to improve the conditions of the centre?

80