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| Planning Commission castigates J&K for poor implementation of ICDS scheme | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Nov 1: Planning Commission of India has expressed serious concern over dismal performance of Jammu and Kashmir Government in the implementation of Centrally Sponsored Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
In its recently released evaluation study report on the implementation of ICDS scheme, the Commission has expressed serious concerns over lower enrolment among ICDS beneficiaries apart from a higher rate of discontinuation across Jammu and Kashmir. Commission has found several shortcomings in the implementation of the scheme and stated that the State has adopted casual approach for the implementation of the scheme.
According to the report, maintaining records of all activities carried out at the AWC is an important responsibility of the Anganwadi Workers. However, in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, it has been reported as less than 10 percent. The medicine stock register was maintained very poorly, with only 33.7 percent of Anganwadi Centers (AWC) at the national level reporting their registers to be updated. Jammu and Kashmir had less than 5 per cent of their medicine registers updated.
Child weight and growth chart registers were also poorly maintained with only 42.3 per cent and 41.2 per cent respectively of AWC reporting their registers to be updated at the national level. J&K performed the worst in this regard with less than 10 per cent of their AWC having updated child weight and growth registers.
The immunisation register is extremely important as this service has a direct impact on the health of children and adults. J&K with less than 11 per cent had updated their immunisation registers. Medicines given to the AWC were Iron/Folic Acid (Big and small), Almebendazol/Mebedazol, ORS, Vitamin-A, Paracetamol, Paracetamol Cyrup, Metrogyl, Vitamin B Complex, Eye Ointment Tubes, Betnovate, Iodine, Dettol and Cotton bandages. However, J&K did not receive any of these medicines.
Commission found out that J&K had only a single digit 0-10 per cent percentage of their AWCs with medical kits. J&K lags in intervention aimed at pregnant women. On the other hand, discontinuity has significantly increased more among ICDS beneficiaries in J&K. None of AWC in Jammu and Kashmir received medical kits.
In providing referral service, AWC in Jammu and Kashmir made the worst provisions. Besides, the Commission has said that general immunisation programme needs further focus in Jammu and Kashmir. Center launched the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in 1975 in recognition of the importance of early childhood care as the foundation of human development. ICDS has expanded over the years and is now one of the world's largest and most unique outreach programmes responding to the challenge of meeting the holistic needs of a child.
The programme has undergone many transformations in terms of scope, content and implementation, but the primary goal of breaking the inter-generational cycle of malnutrition, reduction of morbidity and mortality caused by nutritional deficiencies, by reaching out the children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls have remained unaltered.
The evaluation study was taken up by the Programme Evaluation Organisation (PEO) of Planning Commission. The National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi carried out the evaluation and covered 19,500 households across 100 districts in 35 States and UTs. The study has come up with important findings and observations. |
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