ICDS Full Form | Full Form of ICDS

Integrated Child Development Services

ICDS stands for Integrated Child Development Services.
It's a well-liked flagship program of the government Of India for all-round development of kids.
It aims to supply food, preschool education, basic healthcare like immunization, health check-up, and referral services to children under the age of 6 and their mothers.
It is an integrated package of services for the holistic development of the kid.
This program was introduced in 1975, but discontinued in 1978 then re-introduced by the Tenth Five Year Plan.
The beneficiaries of this program include children within the age group of 0 to six, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Components of Icds

Objectives of ICDS

To improve the nutritional and health status of kids below the age of 6
To conduct programs for the physical, social, and psychological development of kids
To reduce the speed of mortality, illness, child malnutrition and school dropout
To improve the health of the mothers and make them capable of taking care of the health and nutritional needs of their children through proper nutrition and health education

These services are available at local ICDS centre called Anganwadi, run by Anganwadi workers, the community-based women which are paid for their work.
These women are assisted by medical officers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM), and Accredited Social Health Activists (ashas) to provide immunization, ante-natal, and post-natal care. However, the Ministry of girls and Child Development (MWCD) monitor the ICDS scheme.

Despite increasing funding over the past three decades, the ICDS fell in need of its stated objectives and still faces variety of challenges.
Also, though its widespread coverage, operational gaps mean that service delivery isn't consistent in quality and quantity across the country.

By end of 2010, the programme is saying to succeed in 80.6 lakhs expectant and lactating mothers alongside 3.93 crore children (under 6 years of age).
There are 6,719 operational projects with 1,241,749 operational Aanganwadi centre’s.
Several positive benefits of the programme are documented and reported

A study in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka demonstrated significant improvement within the mental and social development of all children irrespective of their gender.
A 1992 study of National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development confirmed improvements in birth-weight and infant death rate of Indian children alongside improved immunization and nutrition.