The UPA government, which has been
critical of its own 'deficiencies' in tacking nutritional challenges,
has chalked out a plan to meet the food requirement of over eight crore
children in the country.
"The
government plans to convert the existing 'ineffective' Integrated Child
Development Scheme (ICDS) into a national mission, which would target
eight crore children in the age group of 0-6 years, mostly under two
years, in 14 lakh anganwadis," a top government official said.
The
idea has been mooted by the women and child development ministry on the
lines of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and Sarva Sikhsha
Abhiyan.
The 'nutrition
mission' would come with an enhanced budgetary allocation, increasing
the daily nutritional entitlement to Rs.7 per child from the existing
Rs.4.
India accounts for one-third of the world's undernourished children even
though there are at least eight national programmes committed to
improving the nutritional standards.
The
'nutrition mission' aims to strengthen the ICDS by linking it with
local health departments and create infrastructure as more than half of
the country's anganwadis don't even have proper buildings.
source:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/malnutrition-children-centre-upa-children-welfare-schemes/1/210904.html
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