ICDS including Anganwadi services extend till Nov. 20, 2018

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given a nod to the extension of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), which includes Anganwadi services and others till November 30, 2018 from April 1, 2017.

Apart from Anganwadi services, Schemes for Adolescent Girls, Child Protection Services and National Creche Scheme have also been extended with an outlay of over Rs.41,000 crore.

The Cabinet has also approved implementation of Scheme for Adolescent Girls for out of school girls in the age group of 11-14 years, its phased expansion.

It also gave a nod to phasing out of the ongoing Kishori Shakti Yojana for out of school girls in the age group of 11-14 years.

The decision also provides for conversion of National Creche Scheme from Central Sector to Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the revised cost sharing between Centre and States as 60:40 for all States and UTs with legislature, 90:10 for NER and Himalayan States and 100 percent for UTs without legislature and implementation of the Scheme through States/UTs instead of existing implementation agencies.

The sub-schemes listed above are not new schemes but are continuing from the XII Five Year Plan.

The programme through targeted interventions will strive to reduce the level of malnutrition, anaemia and low birth weight babies, ensure empowerment of adolescent girls, provide protection to the children who are in conflict with law, provide safe place for day-care to the children of working mothers, create synergy, ensure better monitoring, issue negative alerts for timely action, encourage States/UTs to perform, guide and supervise the line Ministries and States/UTs to achieve the targeted goals and bring more transparency.

More than 11 crore children, pregnant women & Lactating Mothers and the Adolescent Girls will be benefited through this scheme.