2-day workshop on ICDS programme takes off at SKICC.

A 2-day sensitization workshop for ICDS functionaries on “Adoption of New World Health Organization’s Child Growth Standards (WHO-CGS)” took off at SKICC, here today. Organized by the Social Welfare department, all the Deputy Directors, Programme Officers and Child

Srinagar, June 25:A 2-day sensitization workshop for ICDS functionaries on “Adoption of New World Health Organization’s Child Growth Standards (WHO-CGS)” took off at SKICC, here today. Organized by the Social Welfare department, all the Deputy Directors, Programme Officers and Child Development Project Officers of Kashmir division are participating in the workshop. Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Women Child Development (MWCD), Dr. Shreeranjan was the chief guest while Director MWCD, Mr. Mahesh Arora, Commissioner-Secretary, Social Welfare department, Mr. Pramod Jain, Directors of Social Welfare Kashmir and Jammu besides other dignitaries of GOI were present at the function.
Inaugurating the workshop, the Union Joint Secretary, MWCD said that children are the precious assets of our society and future of our nation, as such, focused attention need to be given towards their proper upkeep and development. He called upon the ICDS  unctionaries to ensure proper monitoring of schemes launched by the central and
state governments for proper nourishment of children. He said huge responsibility lies on shoulders of field functionaries in the implementation of ICDS programmes aimed to check mal-nutrition among children and expectant mothers besides providing them healthcare and pre-school education. He said the Anganwari centres should become
focal point of attention for children and expectant and lactating mothers.
Spelling out various programme initiated by the Central Government, Dr. Shreeranjan said that by December 31, this year, the number of Anganwari centres in the country would go up to 14 lakh which at present is 10.53 lakh adding that 332 lakh children are presently covered under ICDS programme. He stressed for improving the child care
delivery system to ensure satisfactory results. He also called for convergence with health and education departments besides village hierarchy at the grass root level and also sensitizing the people about the programmes and schemes launched for the development and growth of children and mothers. He hoped that deliberations during the two day work shop would prove fruitful in addressing the issues confronting the field staff adding that conditional maternity benefit scheme of providing assistance to mothers is under active
consideration of the Central government.
In his address, Commissioner-Secretary Social Welfare stressing on improving the overall service delivery mechanism said that we need to take stock of quality of services being rendered to the children and expectant mothers. He said the need for adoption of new WHO CGS is to arrest the under nutrition among the children and bring about more
effectiveness in intervention programmes. He asked the officers to take on their new roles with sensitivity and clarity and ensure that no problem crops up at the grass root level. He said the ICDS programme is a people’s movement and massive involvement of people is
imperative for the successful implementation of this programme. He said the objective of holding the workshop is to sensitize the participants about use of child growth standards and seek their suggestions about the new concept. Later, Director MWCD gave a lucid power point presentation on WHOchild growth standards.