Lok Sabha Question No. 422 (STARRED), answered on 2016-12-16
Subject: Linking of Child Development Schemes with Aadhaar
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SUNIL KUMAR MONDAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 422

TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2016

## LINKING OF CHILD DEVELOMENT SCHEMES WITH AADHAAR

422.   SHRI SUNIL KUMAR MONDAL:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of child development schemes/programmes under implementation;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to link all such schemes with Aadhaar and if so, the details and the current status thereof; and
- (c) the time by which the proposal is likely to be implemented?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI MANEKA SANJAY GANDHI)

- (a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## Statement referred to in reply to Part (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Starred Question   No. 422  for  16.12.2016  by  Shri  Sunil  Kumar  Mondal  regarding  'Linking  of  Child Development Schemes with Aadhaar'

- (a) Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  is  administrating  Integrated  Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme which provides a package of six services i.e. (i) Supplementary  Nutrition;  (ii) Pre-school  Non-formal  Education;  (iii) Nutrition and Health Education; (iv) Immunization; (v) Health Check-up; and (vi) Referral  Services  to  children  (below  6  years  of  age)  and  pregnant  &  lactating mothers (P&L) at the platform of Anganwadi Centres across the country. Three of the above six services viz. immunization, health check up and referral services are related to heath and are provided through Public Health Infrastructure.

The objectives of the Scheme are to (i) improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years; (ii) lay the foundation for proper psychological,  physical  and  social  development  of  the  child;  (iii)  reduce  the incidence  of  mortality,  morbidity,  malnutrition  and  school  dropout;  (iv)  achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst various departments to  promote  child  development;    and  (v)  enhance  the  capability  of  the  mother  to look  after  the  normal  health  and  nutritional  needs  of  the  child  through  proper nutrition and health education.

The scheme today operates through a network of 7073 fully operational Projects and 13.49 lakh Anganwadi Centres as on 30.09.2016. The services are currently being  provided  to  1010.56  lakh  beneficiaries  of  which  820.65  lakh  are  children under six years of age and 189.91 lakh are P&L Mothers. 345.44 lakh children of 3-6 years are provided pre-school education.

- (b) The Aadhaar Act, 2016 has been notified in the Gazette of India vide notification dated 26.03.2016 conferring legal status upon the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to issue Aadhaar to the residents of India.   Under the Integrated Child  Development  Services  (ICDS)  Scheme,  Aadhaar  enrolment  of  children below 5 years has been taken up with States/Union Territories.  As per information available from UIDAI, Aadhaar saturation among children below 5 years of age is 32.3% as on 30.11.2016.

States/ UTs  have been requested to organise special enrolment camps at Anganwadi  Centres  (AWCs)  for  enrolment  of  children  below  5  years  under Aadhaar.

Further,  following child development schemes of Ministry of Women and Child Development  have  been  identified  for  inclusion  under  Direct  Benefit  Transfer (DBT) platform by linking them to Aadhaar:

(i) Integrated  Child  Development  Services  -  Honorarium  to  Anganwadi Workers and  Anganwadi Helpers;

- (ii) Rajiv  Gandhi  National  Creche  Scheme  for  Children-  Honorarium  to Workers.
- (c) Implementation of the proposal depends on Aadhaar enrolment of children below 5 years.

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