Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme

A Program for Enhancing Holistic Development of Children in India

Abstract

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) of India established Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in 1975. ICDS has served a flagship program for India’s health care system, and has received financial and technical support from UNICEF and the World Bank (UNICEF2012). The present study has highlighted the role of ICDS (Anganwadi centers) in enhancing holistic development of children as well as early child hood learning strategies and is based on secondary source. Although ICDS proved very beneficial for child health, education and development yet the researcher came to conclusion that the main aim and object of the government under which the scheme was launched has not achieved the better results because of the fact that all the families are not taking benefit of said scheme due to illiteracy, poverty, lack of understanding and false social status and also these centers are lacking proper infrastructure facilities as well as adequate teaching learning material which acts as a big hurdle in preschool and non-formal education.