ICDS: National Advisory Council

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The national common minimum programme of the new UPA government includes a commitment to "universalise the Integrated Child Development Services scheme to provide a functional anganwadi in every settlement and ensure full coverage for all children."

The NAC was set up to monitor the implementation of the Common Minimum Programme. This section contains reports submitted to the NAC and records of the recommendations made by them on ensuring that ICDS is universalised with quality.

This report focuses on the basic fact that Indian children are among the most deprived in the world. In particular, they are the most undernourished. It discusses the universalisation of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), with quality improvements, as a means of protecting young children from hunger, undernutrition and ill health. The universalisation of ICDS is part of the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA government, and is also required for compliance with recent Supreme Court orders on the right to food.

• Recommendations on ICDS based on deliberations of the National Advisory Council (28 August 2004, revised October 2004)
• Follow-up Recommendations on ICDS based on deliberations of the National Advisory Council (5 February 2005)