Congress Flags Poor Governance of ICDS Despite Mission Saksham Rebrand

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), India's flagship programme for early childhood care, nutrition, and education, commemorated its 50th anniversary on Thursday, exactly five decades after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched it on October 2, 1975. Today, the scheme operates through 1.396 million anganwadi centres, serving over 76.5 million children nationwide under the rebranded Mission Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hailed its role in advancing human development indicators but criticised the programme's governance for failing to evolve with its modern nomenclature, urging immediate reforms to address persistent gaps.

Ramesh referenced a recent report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Women and Child Development, chaired by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, which outlined critical enhancements for ICDS. These align closely with the party's 2024 Lok Sabha manifesto, "Nyay Patra", emphasising equitable resource allocation and workforce strengthening. The committee highlighted underfunding and outdated infrastructure as barriers to effective delivery, particularly in rural and marginalised areas where anganwadis serve as vital community hubs for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under six.

Key proposals include doubling wages for anganwadi workers and helpers to recognise their frontline role and appointing an additional worker per centre dedicated to early childhood education. Ramesh pointed to the unfulfilled promise of revising supplementary nutrition cost norms—originally slated for FY 2020-21 and reiterated in the 2025 budget speech—as evidence of stalled progress.

The Congress also advocates extending services to day-care and crèche facilities for infants over six months, expanding centres based on projected 2025 population estimates rather than the 2011 census, and replacing take-home rations with hot-cooked meals for better nutritional outcomes.

Also Read: Karnataka Fires Back as Andhra Courts Disgruntled Bengaluru Tech Firms

As one of the world's largest child welfare initiatives, ICDS has significantly reduced malnutrition rates and boosted school readiness, yet challenges like staffing shortages and uneven implementation persist. Ramesh's remarks underscore a bipartisan call for revitalisation, with the government facing pressure to implement these reforms amid rising scrutiny on child health metrics in the world's most populous nation.

Also Read: Deep Depression Triggers Torrential Rain in Bengal, Durga Puja Festivities Hit