Over 3.32 crore
children have benefited from the Integrated Child Development
Services (ICDS) Scheme in the current year upto September 2002.
In the previous year 3.15 crore children had benefited from
this Scheme.
ICDS seeks
to improve nutritional and health status of children upto six
years of age. Reduction in mortality, morbidity, mal-nutrition
and school dropout are given special emphasis under the Scheme.
National family health surveys have shown that over the years
significant progress has been achieved in meeting the objectives
of this Scheme. The prevalence of low weight among children
upto 3 years has come down from 53.4 percent in 1992-93 to 47
percent in 1998-99. Similarly infant mortality rate has come
down from 78.5 per thousand live births to 67.6 , and low birth
weight from 33 percent to 22.7 percent.
The Central
Government has released Rs.1602.14 crore up to 13 February this
year to the States for implementation of the Scheme as compared
to Rs. 1545.87 crore last year and Rs. 1224.02 crore in the
year previous to that (2000-01).
This information
was given by the Minister for Human Resource Development in
reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
