The ministry of women & child development has proposed public-private partnership for strengthening the integrated child development scheme (ICDS). The partnership may include resource mobilistion for construction of anganwadi centres, creating facilities such as child friendly toilets, kitchen, drinking water, pre-school education kits and regular health check-ups at ICDS health centres.

Addressing a national workshop on public-private partnership in ICDS, minister of women & child development. Renuka Chowdhury said that the ICDS, the largest programme in the world for intervention to correct malnutrition caters about 60.63 million young children through about 9 lakh anganwadis. But still there were some gaps, which could be filled through the participation of other stakeholders of the society especially private industry. She said that investment in the children would provide better human resource to the industry and better citizen to the country.

Chodhury said ever since the ICDS was initiated, it was envisaged a purely Governmental programme. However, with the gradual passage of time through field experience, it was felt that the programme could yield much better results if participation of private sector is also elicited in its implementation.

As of now, the Government has only collaborated with few voluntary organizations and panchayati raj institutions across the country, which has paid rich dividends. Taking all these developments into consideration, the government is of the view that ICDS could be developed as people's programme with the partnership of private sectors which would be mutually beneficial to all concerned, she added.

Listing the areas for public private partnership the minister said that the private sector could help the Government to reach remotest areas to create awareness about health & nutrition, provide training to enhance the capacities of ICDS functionaries, making anganwadis more child friendly, upgrading infrastructure and monitoring the implementation of various ICDS schemes.

The meeting was organized by the ministry of women & child development to explore possible avenues for PPP in ICDS. Besides, representatives of public sector banks, corporate houses, NGO and international agencies the States where partnership has already been initiated were also present in the workshop.