Department of Women and Child Development Government of NCT of Delhi

Anganwadi Services Scheme (Erstwhile ICDS)

“Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0” Scheme

“Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0” Scheme, a flagship programme of Government of India for the growth and development of young children and women through 95 functional ICDS Projects comprising of 10897 sanctioned AWCs scattered all over Delhi. 

ANGANWADI SERVICES SCHEME- (erstwhile INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES-ICDS) 

Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is an Integrated Nutrition Support Programme to address the challenges of malnutrition in children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers through a strategic shift in nutrition content and delivery and by creation of a convergent eco- system to develop and promote practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity.

The current Anganwadi Services Scheme (erstwhile ICDS) is one of the largest and unique programmes of the Govt. of India for early childhood care and development. It is a firm testament of the country’s commitment to its children and nursing mothers to respond to the challenge of providing pre-school non-formal education on one hand and break the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning capacity and mortality on the other. The beneficiaries under this scheme are children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers and adolescent girls in the age group 14-18 years (Only in Aspirational Districts of the Country, as per MoWCD-GoI instructions issued time to time).

Objective of Anganwadi Services Scheme:

• Improve the nutritional and health status of children below the age group 6 years.
• To lay the foundation for the psychological, physical and social development of children.
• Reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity malnutrition and school dropouts.
• Achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development.
• Enhance the capability of the mother, through proper nutrition and health education, for looking after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child.

Services of Anganwadi Services Scheme:-

• Health Check-ups
• Immunization
• Growth promotion and supplementary feeding
• Referral services
• Early childhood care and education
• Nutritional an health education

Cooked items distributed under SNP in ICDS Projects:-

Following Cooked items are being distributed to target beneficiaries under Anganwadi Services Scheme.

• Hot Cooked Meal in the form of Vegetable Pulao/Vegetable Khichri/Dalia/Halwa
• Weaning food for the children for the age group of 07 months to 01 year.
• Morning snacks in the form of Steamed Black Chana/White Matar

Supplementary Nutrition Program in Anganwadi Services Scheme:-

The department has taken initiative in compliance of the Supreme Court direction for removal of contract system in the ICDS Project, promotion and introduction of Cooked SNP items through NGOs and Women Self Help Groups.

• The Department has engaged 22 NPOs for preparations and distribution of SNP items in the Anganwadi Centers.
• The SNP distribution system is being implemented effectively. Women SHGs are being involved.

Achievements in Anganwadi Services Scheme :-

Pursuant to Cabinet Decision No. 3072 dated 25.02.2022, the honorarium of Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers was enhanced effective from March 2022, as per the following:-

1. The Honorarium of AWWs was enhanced from Rs. 9678/- per month to Rs. 11,220/- per month. The Honorarium of AWHs was enhanced from Rs. 4839/- per month to Rs. 5610/- per month.
2. Given the functional requirement of various kinds of development activities performed by AWWs/AWHs for the well-being of women and children, it has also been decided to pay an additional amount as Conveyance & Communication Allowance @ Rs. 1500/- per AWW per month and @ Rs. 1200/- per AWH per month w.e.f. March, 2022 onwards.

• Due to severe space constraints in Delhi, Hub centres/Twin AWCs have been set up by merging two or more Anganwadi Centres in order to have better premises and basic facilities like water, electricity, washroom and wash basin.
• Clubbing of more than one anganwadi at one premise to have bigger space in the same locality helps to pool the resources in terms of the number of AWWs and AWHs i.e., for one clubbed centre there will be more than one AWW and AWH.

• In order to strengthen the delivery of services in Anganwadis under ICDS,  “MUKHYAMANTRI ANGANWADI MONITORING COMMITTEES” (MAMC) have been constituted  with the following functions:

1. Monitors distribution of Supplementary Nutrition Food (SNF) among beneficiaries.
2. Assistance in expanding the base of beneficiaries through enrolment process.
3. Suggest areas where new AWCs can be opened or existing AWCs can be clubbed.
4. Suggest suitable locations for shifting of existing AWCs, if the existing location is not up to the mark.

• Significant and Special efforts have been made for filling up the vacant posts of Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) to ensure quality in the delivery of services envisaged under the  Anganwadi Services Scheme (erstwhile ICDS).

• Additional 142 AWCs being operationalized in order to cover the unserved areas in Delhi so as to meet  the target of operationalzing all 10897 AWCs  sanctioned by the Govt. of India in r/o Delhi State.

• The Department has approved project wise seniority list of AWHs to be considered against vacant post of AWWs against 25% sanctioned post of AWWs in the ICDS Projects, in accordance with Guidelines of GOI issued dated 6th October 2006 in order to motivate and to provide opportunities of further growth to Anganwadi Helpers engaged under the Scheme.

Present Status:-

• The Delhi State has already introduced the new system of distribution of Hot Cooked Meal and Weaning Food through Self Help Groups/Mahila Mandals by involvement of NPOs as facilitators under SNP components.
• NABL accredited Lab are engaged for lifting samples for lab analysis for the same.