The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program was launched in 1975 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in India to combat issues like malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality among children under 6 years old. It operates over 1 million centers across India and provides supplementary nutrition, immunizations, health checkups, and pre-school education. The program aims to improve nutritional levels as well as physical and mental development of children. Anganwadi centers serve as focal points for these services. The ICDS also provides adolescent girls with nutrition and vocational programs. Its goal is to promote the holistic development of children and mothers.

2. Introduction
Whydoweneed?To combat
 Malnutrition
 Morbidity
 Infant mortality rate (44)
 Under 5 mortality rate (93)
 Decreased learning capacity
When?2 October 1975
BY? Ministry of Women and Child Development – GOI
TOWHOM?Children <6 years, pregnant, nursing, adolescents
Howmany?1,241,749 operational Anganwadi centres

3. Provided Services
Supplementary Nutrition
Medical Referral Services
Nutrition and health education for women
Non-formaleducation of children up to 6 years,
Immunisation
Health Check up

5. Population Norms
 The focal point under the ICDS scheme is the trained local woman
known as Anganwadi worker (AWW). Other functionaries are the
Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), who is in charge of
4 Supervisors (Mukhya Sevika} and 100 AWWs.
 Each Supervisor is responsible for 20-25 anganwadis and acts as
mentor to AWWs;
 Thereafter , one AWC for multiples of 800 population. For
 Mini-AWC – 1 for 150 to 400 population.
 For tribal/reverine/desert/hilly and other difficult areas
 1 AWC for 300-800 population
 1 Mini - AWC for 150-300 population

6. Objectives of ICDS
 To improve the nutritional and health status of children
in the age group 0-6 years;
 To lay the foundations for proper psychological physical
and social development of the child ;
 To reduce mortality and, morbidity, malnutrition and
school drop-out;
 To achieve an effective coordination of policy and
implementation among the various departments
 Working for the promotion of child development and
 To enhance the capability of the mother and nutritional
needs of the child through proper nutrition and health
education.

7. Supplementary Nutrtion
• 500 calories and 12-15
grams of protein
6-72 months
• 800 calories and 20-25
grams protein
Severely
malnourished
child 6-72 months
• 600 calories and 18-20
grams of protein.
Pregnant and
nursing woman

8.  Mandatory to provide more than one meal to the children
who come to AWCs for 300 days a year.
 Morning Snack - milk/banana/egg/seasonal
fruit/micronutrient fortified food.
 Below poverty line (BPL) is not a criteria for registration of
beneficiaries.
 Children are weighed every month
Degree of Malnutrition Recommended Care
1st Degree Nutrition and health education
2nd and 3rd Degree Supplementary nutrition (therapeutic
food)
4th Degree Hospitalization

10. 2. Nutrition and health education
 Nutrition education and health education is given to
all Women in the age group 15-45 years, giving priority
to nursing and expectant mothers.
 It is imparted by specially organized courses in village
during home visits by anganwadi workers.

11. 3. Immunization
 Immunization of children against 6 vaccine preventable
diseases is being done,
 While for expectant mothers,Immunization against
tetanus is done.

12. 4. Health check-up
 (a) antenatal care of expectant mothers;
 (b) postnatal care of mother and care of newborn
(c) Care of children under 6 years of age.
Expectant mothers:
 Given iron and folic acid tablets with protein supplements.
 3 physical examinations.
 High risk mothers referred to higher institutions for care

13. Children under 6 years:
 1. Record of weight and height at periodical
intervals
 2. Watch over milestones
 3. Immunization
 4. General check-up every
3-6 months to detect disease, malnutrition etc.
 5. Treatment for disease like diarrhoea, dysentery, respiratory
tract infections etc. which are widely prevalent.
 6. Deworming
 7. Prophylaxis against vitamin A deficiency and anaemia.
 8. Referral of serious cases to hospital has also been provided
 Health records of the children, antenatal care and delivery card
etc. are maintained.

14. . Non-formal pre-school education
 Children between the ages 3-6
 Objective: Opportunities to develop desirable attitude,
values and behaviour pattern among children.
 Locally produced inexpensive toys and material are used
in organizing play and creative activity.

15. 1. Kishori Shakti Yojana
2. Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls
3. Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment
of Adolescent Girls - "SABLA”
4. Indira Gandhi Matrutva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY)

16.  KSY - 11 to 18 years - needs of self development, nutrition and
health status, literacy and numerical skills, vocational skills
etc.
 Nutrition Programme- Undernourished adolescent girls in
the age group of 11 to 19 years – 6kg of food grains/month
(malnourished)
 SABLA & IGMSY - conditional cash transfer will be made to
pregnant and lactating mothers to improve their nutritional
and health status

17. Approaches towards adolescent health
 1.Educating and sensitizing key groups in society to
individual health and social development needs.
 2. Advocating appropriate policy, legislation and
programmes for promoting adolescent reproductive health.
 3. Using appropriate research to improve knowledge of the
factors that influence and determine young people's sexual,
contraceptive and reproductive decisions.
 4. Modifying, extending and services specially designed to
meet young people's needs.
 5. Mobilizing the energy, creativity and idealism of young
people in promoting health
 6. To extend education opportunities for girls.

18.  Reference:
 [Park’s Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine,
23rd Edition]
 http://icds-wcd.nic.in/icds/

20.  Slides by Joseph Liyaskar,
 II MBBS – GMKMC Salem