Context: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme, India’s flagship early childhood development initiative, completed 50 years in 2025. Launched in 1975, ICDS has evolved into the world’s largest community-based child development programme. It is now restructured under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 to modernise service delivery, nutrition outcomes, and early childhood education.
About ICDS
ICDS is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD). It aims to address malnutrition, improve child development, and enhance maternal health through integrated, community-based service delivery.
Objectives
- Improve the nutritional and health status of children aged 0–6 years.
- Reduce infant mortality, undernutrition, and school dropouts.
- Enhance early childhood care and development, especially in vulnerable communities.
- Provide support to pregnant and lactating women through health and nutrition services.
Core Services (Six Services)
- Supplementary Nutrition
- Pre-school Non-formal Education
- Nutrition and Health Education
- Immunisation
- Health Check-ups
- Referral Services
These services are delivered through a nationwide network of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).
Key Achievements
1. Expansive Coverage
- Nearly 1.4 million AWCs operate across India.
- ICDS benefits over 9 crore children and mothers annually.
2. Improved Nutrition Support
- ~95% of registered children access supplementary nutrition, contributing to better growth monitoring and early detection of malnutrition.
3. Early Learning Improvements
- Several independent studies show gains in early literacy and numeracy, especially in states with strong AWC education reforms.
4. Women-centred and Community Assets
- Thousands of women’s hostels, crèches, and community centres have been established under ICDS and PMJVK-linked convergence.
Key Challenges
1. Funding Strain
- The shift from 90:10 to 60:40 Centre–State funding has created financial stress for several states, impacting uniform coverage.
2. Infrastructure Gaps
- Many AWCs lack permanent buildings, functional toilets, kitchens, and drinking-water facilities, affecting service quality.
3. Workforce Issues
- Anganwadi workers remain underpaid and overburdened, often diverted to non-ICDS duties such as surveys and election work.
4. Technology-Driven Exclusion
- Issues with the Poshan Tracker app and facial recognition-based attendance risk excluding genuine beneficiaries.
5. Persistent Nutrition Challenges
- India still records 35.5% stunting and 18.7% wasting, indicating chronic systemic gaps.
Karnataka’s ICDS Innovations: A National Model
1. Systemic Scaling
- Expanded ICDS from a pilot to 204 blocks, demonstrating effective administrative planning.
2. Infrastructure Upgradation
- 47,720+ AWCs now operate from government-owned buildings with full amenities.
3. Preschool Transformation
- 250 AWCs converted into Montessori units, enabling bilingual, activity-based foundational learning.
4. Standardised Curriculum
- The Chilipili curriculum uses weekly themes and hands-on learning tools to improve cognitive readiness.
5. Childcare for 0–3 Years
- Koosinamane crèches address childcare gaps for working mothers.
6. Nutrition Interventions
- The Chiguru programme integrates community-based counselling with growth monitoring.
7. Worker Welfare
- Enhanced honorariums and welfare measures improve motivation, retention, and service delivery.
Conclusion
As ICDS enters its fifth decade, its impact remains central to India’s human capital development. Strengthening AWC infrastructure, improving workforce conditions, enhancing nutrition quality, and scaling state-level innovations like Karnataka’s model will determine whether ICDS meets the next-generation goals of healthier, better-nourished, and better-prepared young children.