Days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described malnutrition as national shame, the Centre’s move to pump in massive resources into hunger-related schemes are pending the Planning Commission’s approval.
The project appraisal and management division (PAMD) of the Planning Commission has objected to women and child development (WCD) ministry’s demand of over `2 lakh crores for restructuring of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme Launched in 1975, the ICDS scheme aims at providing supplementary nutrition to children in the age group of 0-6 years. “A lot of work has gone into it. But with the PAMD raising issues concerning weaknesses in the system, it is necessary to look into it,” said Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman, the Planning Commission. He said that discussions were being held and the WCD’s proposal would be scrutinised.
“Malnutrition remains a major problem area. Even the PM has taken a note of it. But there seems to be enormous weaknesses in the ICDS programme. This has to be looked at, I will take a decision in due course,” Mr Ahluwalia observed.
However, top WCD officials claimed, “There have been a lot of consultations and the proposal was sent only after the PM’s Council on nutrition recommended strengthening of the ICDS scheme.” It was also pointed out that the proposal was sent to the Planning Commission in November and “no action has yet been taken by the commission.”
PAMD apparently raised objections following a study conducted by the National Institute of Applied Economic Research (NIAER) on the ICDS scheme. A senior Planning Commission official said, “The study pointed out various loopholes in the particular scheme.” For the official, “The benefits of the scheme is reaching only 30 per cent of children. Children belonging to urban slums have also been kept out of the scheme’s ambit.”
The study had also pointed out that there “is no uniformity in implementing the scheme in the country.” While some states like Kerala were “doing commendable jobs, implementation of the scheme is poor in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.“