Integrated Child Development Services
Ongoing scheme
This scheme runs continuously. Enrolment follows the standing process described below.
- Quick Summary
- About the Scheme
- What You Can Get at an Anganwadi and the Poshan Tracker
- How to Complain About Anganwadi Food or Services
- Important Links
- Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 Explained
- 6 Services Provided at Anganwadi Centres Under ICDS
- Anganwadi Take-Home Ration: Calories and Protein per Day
- Poshan Tracker App and Real-Time Growth Monitoring
- Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSND)
- Anganwadi Preschool Education (ECCE) for Children Aged 3 to 6
- Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM): Treatment and Hospital Referral
- Integrated Child Development Services FAQs
Quick Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Scheme Name | ICDS (Now subsumed under Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0) |
| Ministry | Ministry of Women and Child Development |
| Beneficiaries | Children (0-6 years), Pregnant/Lactating Women, Adolescent Girls |
| Delivery Hub | Local Anganwadi Centres (AWC) |
| Core Entitlement | Free Supplementary Nutrition and Pre-school education |
About the Scheme
ICDS is the world’s largest community-based program for early childhood development. It operates through a vast network of Anganwadi Centres across India. Under the new Poshan 2.0 framework, the focus has heavily shifted towards combating severe malnutrition using fortified foods and digital tracking.
What You Can Get at an Anganwadi and the Poshan Tracker
Many parents do not know their legal rights at the Anganwadi. Here is what the law (National Food Security Act) guarantees:
- Take-Home Ration (THR): Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children aged 6 months to 3 years are legally entitled to Take-Home Rations (usually fortified wheat, dal, or specific energy-dense food packets) provided by the Anganwadi worker every month.
- Hot Cooked Meals: Children aged 3 to 6 years are entitled to a Hot Cooked Meal at the Anganwadi for 300 days a year, along with non-formal pre-school education.
- The Poshan Tracker App (Hidden Reality): The government now strictly monitors Anganwadi workers through the Poshan Tracker app. If the worker does not measure your child's height and weight and enter it into the app, she does not get her incentives. Ensure your child is physically weighed at the center so they receive their food quota.
How to Complain About Anganwadi Food or Services
If the Anganwadi worker is hoarding food, selling the rations, or giving bad quality meals:
- Local Escalation: Do not fight with the worker. Escalate the complaint to the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) at your block headquarters. The CDPO has the power to suspend the worker.
- National Helpline: Call the dedicated Ministry helpline at 14408 to register a direct complaint regarding Poshan Abhiyaan services.
- CPGRAMS: You can log a formal public grievance on the central pgportal.gov.in against the state WCD department.
Important Links
| Purpose | Link |
|---|---|
| Poshan Abhiyaan Dashboard | poshantracker.in |
Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 Explained
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), restructured as Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, is a premier flagship program administered by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Operating through an extensive network of village and urban Anganwadi centres, it addresses child malnutrition, infant mortality, and early childhood cognitive development across India.
Target beneficiaries include children aged 0 to 6 years, pregnant women, and lactating mothers, ensuring continuous nutritional and healthcare intervention across the critical first 1,000 days of life.
6 Services Provided at Anganwadi Centres Under ICDS
- Supplementary Nutrition: Supplying hot cooked meals and fortified take-home rations matching age-appropriate caloric and protein standards.
- Pre-School Non-Formal Education: Organizing interactive play-based learning activities for children aged 3 to 6 years to prepare them for primary schooling.
- Immunization: Administering national vaccination schedules in coordination with Primary Health Centre (PHC) Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs).
- Health Check-Ups: Periodic screening for childhood ailments, maternal anemia, infant growth monitoring, and vitamin A administration.
- Referral Services: Prompt medical referral of Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) children to specialized Malnutrition Treatment Centres (MTCs).
- Nutrition and Health Education: Counseling adolescent girls and mothers on breastfeeding practices, infant complementary feeding, and menstrual hygiene.
Anganwadi Take-Home Ration: Calories and Protein per Day
| Beneficiary Category | Calories Provided | Protein Standard | Food Delivery Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children (6 Months to 3 Years) | 500 kcal | 12 to 15g Protein | Fortified Take-Home Rations (THR) |
| Children (3 Years to 6 Years) | 500 kcal | 12 to 15g Protein | Morning Snack + Fresh Hot Cooked Meal at Anganwadi |
| Severely Malnourished Children | 800 kcal | 20 to 25g Protein | Specialized Energy-Dense Micro-Nutrient Rations |
| Pregnant & Lactating Mothers | 600 kcal | 18 to 20g Protein | Fortified Take-Home Rations (THR) + Iron Folic Acid |
Poshan Tracker App and Real-Time Growth Monitoring
To replace manual paper registers and eliminate ghost beneficiaries, Anganwadi workers utilize the digital Poshan Tracker mobile application. Workers record monthly child weight measurements using digital infant scales and height measurements using stadiometers.
The app automatically plots measurements against WHO child growth charts, flagging children categorized as stunted (low height for age), wasted (low weight for height), or underweight. District medical officers monitor live dashboards, intervening with medical nutrition supplements for severely malnourished cases.
Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSND)
Once every month, the Anganwadi centre hosts the Village Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Day (VHSND) in convergence with the Health Department. The Anganwadi Worker (AWW), ASHA worker, and ANM assemble pregnant women and young mothers to conduct prenatal check-ups, distribute iron-folic acid tablets, administer infant vaccines, and test local drinking water quality.
Anganwadi Preschool Education (ECCE) for Children Aged 3 to 6
Under the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) framework, Anganwadis function as the primary institution for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). Children aged 3 to 6 years participate in daily non-formal pre-school activities utilizing mother-tongue learning aids, puppet play, storytelling, and sensory cognitive games.
Standardized activity activity workbooks develop fine motor coordination, phonetic familiarity, and emotional confidence, ensuring children transition smoothly into Class I primary school classrooms.
Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM): Treatment and Hospital Referral
When growth monitoring flags a child with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) showing bilateral pitting edema or severe muscle wasting, Anganwadi workers activate emergency clinical referral protocols. The child is referred to the nearest Community Health Centre or District Hospital Malnutrition Treatment Centre (MTC).
MTC facilities provide 14 days of specialized inpatient care, therapeutic milk feeds, and pediatric medical supervision, with the mother receiving wage compensation allowances during the hospital stay.
Integrated Child Development Services FAQs
Sources and review
Facts in this guide were last checked against the official sources below on . Rules can change after that date, so confirm details on the official portal before you apply.
Official sources used
- Poshan Tracker / Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 Portal (opens in a new tab) — Ministry of Women and Child Development, GoI (accessed 25 Oct 2026)Not a government domain.
Written and maintained by Abhijit Chowdhury. Read our editorial and corrections policy.
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