Rs. 350 Crore Required to Get the ICDS Program Back on Track

Presently the government has allocated a meager amount of Rs. 4-6 per day per child for the food program under the government's Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). This program intends to provide 500-600 kilo calories per day to every child. Due to hike in food prices several states have demanded a minimum 15% increase or about Rs. 350 crore to get the ICDS program back on track. States like Assam, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Bihar are unable to give supplementary nutrition regularly, while Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Puducherry, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are giving fewer calories to children than prescribed under nutrition norms. Uttarakhand has not distributed the take-home rations for about 9months, while Puducherry, West Bengal, Bihar, Chandigarh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands were not supplying the morning snacks.

Women and child development (WCD) minister Mr. Krishna Tirath said, "We are concerned about providing adequate nutrition and have asked for an increase in spending on supplementary nutrition." With poor funding and increasing demands, giving nutritious food to every child is not an easy task.

Source-Medindia