Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Anganwadi System

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is India's biggest programme for the care of young children and mothers. It works through small village and slum centres called Anganwadi Centres ("anganwadi" means "courtyard shelter" in Hindi). These centres give food, pre-school learning, health check-ups and advice to children below six years, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and adolescent girls. Today ICDS runs as part of a bigger scheme called Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.

Why was ICDS needed?

The first six years of a child's life are when the brain and body grow the fastest. If a child does not get enough food, care and learning in these years, the damage often cannot be fully reversed later. In the 1970s, a very large share of India's children were underweight, many mothers were anaemic (low in blood iron), and most poor families had no access to pre-school or health care.

ICDS was designed to reach these families at their doorstep, through a centre in their own village. The word "integrated" matters: instead of separate offices for food, health and education, one centre delivers all of them together.

Where did it come from?

ICDS was launched on 2 October 1975. It started as an experiment in 33 blocks (4 rural, 18 urban and 11 tribal). It then grew steadily across the country. Key milestones:

• 2001 onwards: In the "Right to Food" case, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) v. Union of India, the Supreme Court in an interim order of 28 November 2001 treated ICDS benefits as legal entitlements. It later ordered (2004 and after) that ICDS should be universal: a working anganwadi in every habitation, for every eligible child and mother.
• 2013: The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) gave legal backing to the food given at anganwadis. Its Schedule II fixes the nutrition standards.
• 2017-18: The POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) was launched on 8 March 2018 at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, to use technology and convergence to cut malnutrition.
• 2021-22: ICDS's Anganwadi Services, POSHAN Abhiyaan and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls were merged into one umbrella scheme: Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (also called Mission Poshan 2.0), for the 15th Finance Commission period (2021-22 to 2025-26).

The six services

Every anganwadi offers a package of six services:

1. Supplementary nutrition: extra food (hot cooked meals, morning snacks or Take-Home Ration packets) to fill the gap in a child's or mother's diet.
2. Pre-school non-formal education: play-based learning for children aged 3 to 6 years.
3. Nutrition and health education: advice to mothers on feeding, hygiene and care.
4. Immunisation: vaccines against diseases like measles and polio.
5. Health check-ups: regular growth monitoring and check-ups.
6. Referral services: sending sick or severely malnourished children to hospitals.

The last three (immunisation, health check-ups and referrals) are delivered together with the health department, through ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives) and ASHA workers.

Who gets the services?

• Children from 6 months to 6 years
• Pregnant women and lactating mothers (mothers who are breastfeeding)
• Adolescent girls aged 14 to 18 years, under Poshan 2.0, in Aspirational Districts and the North Eastern Region

How does an anganwadi work on the ground?

Each centre is run by one Anganwadi Worker (AWW), a woman from the local community, helped by an Anganwadi Helper who cooks and brings children to the centre. Smaller habitations have a Mini Anganwadi Centre with only a worker. A group of centres is watched over by a Supervisor, and each project (usually a block) is headed by a Child Development Project Officer (CDPO).

You can think of the anganwadi worker as a "family doctor, teacher and nutritionist" rolled into one, for the youngest children of the village. As of 2025, India had about 13.96 lakh anganwadi centres.

How much food is given?

Schedule II of the NFSA, 2013 set daily standards. For example:

• Children aged 6 months to 6 years: 500 kcal (kilocalories, the unit for energy in food) and 12 to 15 g protein per day
• Malnourished children aged 6 months to 6 years: 800 kcal and 20 to 25 g protein
• Pregnant women and lactating mothers: 600 kcal and 18 to 20 g protein [Unverified]

Children under 3 and mothers get Take-Home Ration, because they do not come to the centre daily. Children aged 3 to 6 get a morning snack and a hot cooked meal at the centre.

Who pays for it?

Mission Poshan 2.0 is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, which means the Centre and States share the cost. For most components the ratio is 60:40 (Centre:State) for States and UTs with a legislature, 90:10 for North Eastern and Himalayan States, and 100% central for UTs without a legislature. Supplementary nutrition is shared 50:50 in general States.

What is new under Poshan 2.0?

• Saksham Anganwadi: The government approved upgrading 2 lakh anganwadis in phases into "Saksham" (capable) centres with better buildings, smart learning tools, LED screens, water purifiers and nutrition gardens (Poshan Vatikas). As of March 2026, about 1.04 lakh centres had been upgraded.
• Poshan Tracker: A mobile app launched in 2021 that records every child's height and weight and every ration given, in real time. It uses face recognition and Aadhaar-based checks to make sure rations reach the right person.
• Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi ("Nutrition and Education too"): a programme to improve early learning at anganwadis, with two curricula released in 2024: Navchetana (for children from birth to 3 years) and Aadharshila (for children aged 3 to 6 years).
• Fortified rice and millets in meals, and a stronger focus on treating Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in the community.

India's malnutrition picture

The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5, 2019-21) found that among children under five:

• 35.5% were stunted (too short for their age)
• 19.3% were wasted (too thin for their height)
• 32.1% were underweight (too light for their age)

All three improved from NFHS-4 (2015-16), but anaemia got worse: about 67% of children aged 6 to 59 months and 57% of women aged 15 to 49 were anaemic.

Status of anganwadi workers

Anganwadi workers are called "honorary workers" and get a fixed monthly honorarium rather than a salary. Since 2018, the central share is ₹4,500 a month for a worker and ₹2,250 for a helper, and many States add their own top-up. In State of Karnataka v. Ameerbi (2006), the Supreme Court said they do not hold a "civil post" (a regular government job).

But in Maniben Maganbhai Bhariya v. District Development Officer, Dahod (April 2022), the Supreme Court held that anganwadi workers and helpers are entitled to gratuity (a lump-sum payment at retirement) under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, and asked governments to take serious note of their low pay.

Constitutional base

ICDS gives effect to:

• Article 47: the State's duty to raise the level of nutrition and public health
• Article 45 (as changed by the 86th Amendment, 2002): the State shall try to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete six years
• Article 21: the Right to Life, which courts have read to include the right to food

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also treats anganwadis as the base for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).

Commonly confused concepts

• ICDS vs Mission Poshan 2.0: ICDS is the original 1975 scheme. Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is the current umbrella that contains ICDS's anganwadi services plus POSHAN Abhiyaan and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls.
• Anganwadi Worker vs ASHA vs ANM: The anganwadi worker (Ministry of Women and Child Development) handles nutrition and pre-school. The ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) is a village health volunteer under the National Health Mission. The ANM is a trained health worker who gives vaccines and checks pregnant women. All three together are called the "AAA" team at the village level.
• Anganwadi meals vs PM POSHAN (mid-day meal): Anganwadis feed children below 6 and mothers. PM POSHAN (earlier the Mid-Day Meal Scheme) feeds children in government schools (Balvatika and Classes 1 to 8), under the Ministry of Education.
• Stunting vs wasting vs underweight: Stunting shows long-term undernutrition (height for age). Wasting shows recent, acute undernutrition (weight for height). Underweight mixes both (weight for age).

Issues, criticism and the way forward

• Overloaded workers, low pay: Anganwadi workers do many jobs, including surveys and digital data entry, for a small honorarium. Strikes and court cases over pay and job status keep recurring.
• Weak buildings: Many centres still run from rented rooms or without toilets, clean water or electricity. This is why the Saksham upgrade matters.
• Quality of food: Complaints of poor-quality Take-Home Ration, irregular supply and leakage persist. Courts have opposed handing supply to big contractors and favoured local Self-Help Groups.
• Technology exclusion: Making face recognition and e-KYC compulsory for rations has raised concerns that genuine beneficiaries may miss out due to network or app problems.
• Pre-school neglected: Nutrition often takes priority, leaving pre-school learning weak, even though the brain develops most before age 6.
• Way forward: Better pay and training for workers, convergence with health and sanitation departments, community ownership (Jan Bhagidari), use of local foods and millets, and adoption of centres by universities and local bodies.

Concepts to Know

• Centrally Sponsored Scheme: A scheme that the Centre designs and part-funds, but States implement and also pay a share of the cost.
• Supplementary nutrition: Extra food given on top of what a family eats at home, to fill the nutrition gap. It does not replace the home diet.
• Take-Home Ration (THR): Packets of food (like fortified flour or ready-to-eat mixes) given to families to cook and feed at home.
• Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM): A dangerous condition where a child is extremely thin for their height. Such a child has a much higher risk of dying from common illnesses.
• Aspirational Districts: About 112 of India's most backward districts, chosen in 2018 for focused improvement in health, education, agriculture and other areas.
• Honorarium: A fixed payment for service that is not counted as a regular salary, so it does not come with the full benefits of a government job.