The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is the world’s largest food security project and a unique outreach programme, aimed at meeting the nutritional, pre-school education and primary healthcare needs of children under the age of six and those of pregnant/lactating mothers from the most vulnerable sections of society. Designed to combat the multi-dimensional causes and complex inter-generational nature of malnutrition, ICDS has the potential to have long-term impact on human development and economic growth. Gaps between its policy intentions and actual implementation must be addressed by dealing with underlying fiscal and institutional implications.
Under the ICDS scheme, supplementary nutrition is provided to bridge the gap between the Average Daily Intake (ADI) and the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). Challenges in implementation range from the type of services actually being delivered, characteristics of the beneficiaries being served and geographical areas being targeted. Clear criteria need to be set for quality assurance and supplementary feeding activities must be designed better for effective targeting.In addition, there must be some standardization of the nutritional component, prioritization of educational outreach and investment in anganwadi centers.
The challenge of providing aspirational, affordable and available nutrient-rich diets reflects a significant potential forincentivizing production of nutritionally rich food and supplements across the value chain. Particular region-specific diets lack some micro-nutrients that can be supplied to augment (not substitute) hot-cooked meals. Fresh, balanced and culturally-appropriate food can be supplemented with packaged mixes. Fortification of staples like flour, rice, wheat and edible oils is a cost-effective solution for the enhancement of nutrient intake. This will entail some changes in ICDS guidelines to promote the use of fortified inputs in the hot-cooked meals.ICDS must prioritize decentralized and locally produced food made by self-help and women’s groups, thus providing fresh food to children and other potential positive spin-offs like employment for women or spurring the local food economy. Thus, even if packed readymade food is not included, the corporate sector can play a role in helping the government provide nutrient-rich food.
The private sector can play a critical role in filling delivery gaps using a targeted and evidence-based approach. Public-private partnerships or private sector engagements can help scale up food fortification initiatives andleverage technological solutions by complementing government outreach efforts through mass education and awareness campaigns within communities. The underlying rationale is that multi-lateral stakeholder participation within the corporate and civil society is required to curb institutional and market limitations and effectively cater to the needs of the marginalized communities. Limitations in last-mile delivery are compounded by scarcity in channels that mandate communication of simple yet timely and important information regarding nutrition to pregnant and lactating mothers.
Anganwadi centers comprise an important pillar of engagement and accountability within the ICDS program. These can truly become game-changers in broadening the scope of the ICDS. Food distribution plays a crucial role in attracting women and children to anganwadi centers whereinbeneficiaries also receive other important services like ante-natal care, growth monitoring, nutrition counselling etc. The mobilization of anganwadi centerscan be enhanced with increased community involvement and improvement in the quality of service delivery.Long-term success of policy implementation and targeting requires a paradigm shift in stakeholder engagement in order to complement India’s economic achievements with social welfare gains.
Aditi Rukhaiyar
November 21, 2018
source https://indiaoutbound.org/broadening-the-scope-of-the-icds-programme-to-combat-nutrition/
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