In the view to address the various gaps, administrative and operational challenges that had sneaked into the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme the government approved the proposals to strengthen the scheme with over all budget allocations of around Rs. 1,23,580 crore during the 12th Five year plan. Approvals in respect to this has been sent to the States and UTs administrations.
The key features of Strengthened and Restructured ICDS inter-alia include addressing the gaps and challenges with :-
- special focus on children under 3 years and pregnant and lactating mothers
- strengthening and repackaging of services including, care and nutrition counseling services and care of severely underweight children
- a provision for an additional Anganwadi Worker cum Nutrition Counselor for focus on children under 3 years of age and to improve the family contact, care and nutrition counseling for P&L Mothers in the selected 200 high-burden districts across the country, besides having provision of link worker, 5% Anganwadi cum creche center
- special focus on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
- forging strong institutional and programmatic convergence particularly, at the district, block and village levels
- introduction of Annual Programme Implementation Plan (APIP)
- improving Supplementary Nutrition Programme including cost revision
- provision for construction and improvement of buildings of Anganwadi centres
- allocating adequate financial resources for other components including Monitoring and Management and Information System (MIS) Training and use of Information and communication technology (ICT)
- to put ICDS in a mission mode etc., and
- revision of some financial norms etc.
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