Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Programme in the Context of Urban Poor and Slum Dwellers in India: Exploring Challenges and Opportunities
| Author | Sainath Banerjee,Sanjeev Kumar |
| Published date | 01 January 2015 |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0019556120150107 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
(ICDS) PROGRAMME IN THE CONTEXT
OF
URBAN
POOR
AND
SLUM DWELLERS IN INDIA:
EXPLORING CHALLENGES
AND
OPPORTUNITIES
SANJEEV
KUMAR
AND SAINATH
BANERJEE
The
article
examines
the
challenges
and
issues
related
to
Integrated
Child Development Services
(!CDS)
programme
in
urban
settings
with
specific
reference
to
urban
poor and slum population
in
India. For example, Anganwadi Centres
(AWCs)
in
slums or
in
urban areas
are
confronted with multiple
issues
rangingfrom
infrastructural
constraints
(buildings,
space,
water
and sanitation
facilities); inadequate rental provision
to
nm
the
A
WC
properly;
unmapped and unrecognised
slums
and squatters; left out and
drop
out;
increasing migrant and mobile population; difficulty
in
identifying and
reaching
out
to
migrant and working population;
lack
of
convergence
with
health
and allied
departments
and local
bodies,
and
inadequate
access
and poor quality
of
services ; lack
of
knowledge and capacity among service providers;
absence
of
an
effective
primary
health
care
system
in
urban
areas;
lack
of
awareness
and community participation, issues
of
gender and
self-identity, etc. Further, the article attempts to explore
opportunities
and
next
steps to
be
taken
as
suggestive
recommendations
for !CDS programme that may strengthen
the
actual implementation of/CDS programme
in
urban
areas.
INTRODUCTION
INDIA CONTINUES to have the highest rate
of
malnutrition and the
largest number
of
undernourished children in the world. This is true,
in
spite
of
various policies at national and state levels, and the constant efforts
of
several international and national voluntary organisations, including
that
of
bilateral and donor agencies (Kumar, 2009). Almost 43
per
cent
of
children under five years
of
age in India are underweight and 48 per
cent are reported as stunted (National Family Health Swvey (NFHS-3).
The urban poor population (including the slums in urban areas) has a high
INTEGRATED
CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES
(ICDS)
PROGRAMME
195
SANJEEV
KUMAR
AND SA/NATH BANERJEE
prevalence
of
under-nutrition as almost 47 per cent
of
urban poor children
are reported to be underweight and 54 per cent as stunted with almost 60
per cent
of
urban poor children miss total immunisation before completing
one year (NFHS-3). Further, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)
of
India, is
still considered as high
as
40 per 1,000 live births (Sample Registration
System (SRS), 2013) while the Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) is as
high as
52
per 1,000 live births (SRS, 2012).
India is home to
121
crore people, out
of
which 3 7.
71
crore people,
who constitute 31.16 per cent
of
total population reside in urban areas.
This-is for the first time since Independence, that the absolute increase
in population is more in urban areas than in rural areas. Urban growth
has led
to
rapid increase in number
of
urban poor population, many
of
whom live in slums and other squatter settlements. India is home to the
world's largest child (0-6 years) population
of
158.8 million
of
which
41.2 million reside in urban areas (Census 2011 ). The child population
in urban areas increased by almost 3.9 million (10.32%) as compared to
2001 Census. The Planning Commission, poverty estimate for 2011-12
(based on the Tendulkar method) designates 13.7 per cent (52.8 million)
urban population as
'poor',
i.e. living below the official poverty line
(Planning Commission, 2013).
The main purpose
of
this policy research article is to examine the
challenges and issues related to Integrated Child Development Services
(ICDS) Programme in urban settings with specific reference to urban
poor and slum population
in
view
of
growing urbanisation trend in India.
Further, this article also attempts to review the effectiveness
of
ICDS in
addressing the challenges around prevalence
of
child malnutrition. At the
same time, the article attempts to explore opportunities and next steps
as suggestive recommendation
or
a way forward that may strengthen the
actual implementation
ofICDS
programme in urban areas with specific
reference to slum and urban poor population.
The
nutritional status
of
children
has
become
an
important
indicator
of
the development status
of
the country. Today, ensuring good nutrition
is a matter
of
international law. This is being fully expressed in the
Convention on Rights
of
Child ( 1989) which specifies that States must
take appropriate measures to reduce infant and child mortality and
to combat malnutrition through the provision
of
nutritious foods. The
Constitution
of
India, in Article 4 7 shares similar concern as it says that
"the state shall regard the raising
of
the level
of
nutrition and the standard
of
living
of
its people and the improvement
of
public health as
among
its primary duties
and
in particular,
the
state shall endeavour
to
bring
about prohibition
of
the consumption except for medicinal purposes
of
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