Integrated Child Development Services title modified however governance hasnt saved tempo: Congress chief Jairam Ramesh

Marking 50 years of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, which was launched by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Congress’s communications chief Jairam Ramesh on Thursday (October 2, 2025) stated that whereas the scheme’s labelling had been modified, its governance had not saved tempo. 

ICDS was one of many largest, if not the biggest, baby welfare programmes on the planet, and over the many years, it was crucial in making certain great enchancment in India’s human growth indicators, Mr. Ramesh stated.

“The ICDS has since been renamed and subsumed beneath the Mission Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0. Unfortunately, the governance of the scheme has not saved tempo with the title change,” the Congress chief stated.

Flagging a report tabled on March 28 by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Women and Child Development, beneath the chairmanship of Congress chief Digvijaya Singh, Mr. Ramesh stated there have been a number of areas for enchancment. Many of the suggestions made by the panel have been additionally outlined by the Congress in its ‘Nyay Patra’ for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, together with doubling the wages of anganwadi staff and helpers, Mr. Ramesh stated.

The Congress had prompt hiring a further employee for each anganwadi centre to focus completely on early childhood care and training, he identified. It had referred to as for allocating adequate funds for the ICDS, together with the revision of the fee norms for anganwadi companies, which was imagined to have taken place within the Financial Year 2020-21 however had nonetheless not taken place, regardless of the promise made within the Finance Minister’s Budget speech earlier this yr, Mr. Ramesh stated.

Anganwadi companies needs to be prolonged to incorporate day care and creche companies for kids above six months, he stated.

The Congress had really helpful rising the variety of anganwadi centres, he stated, consistent with the estimated inhabitants of the nation in 2025, quite than counting on the 2011 Census figures. It had additionally referred to as for a provision of sizzling, cooked meals quite than take house rations for all eligible beneficiaries of anganwadi companies, Mr. Ramesh stated.

“Today is ICDS@50. 50 years in the past right now, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Today, there are 13.96 lakh Anganwadi Centres throughout the nation which give early training, well being, and diet companies to greater than 7.65 crore kids throughout the nation,” Mr. Ramesh stated in a publish on social media platform X.