Out of 11 states that implemented a World Bank–supported programme to improve nutrition among children, only Kerala met the target of 25 per cent decline in malnutrition. Three other states, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, met the target “substantially”— over 90 per cent of the target. The other seven states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa failed to make much headway in fighting malnutrition.
The Women and Child Development Project was implemented for eight years from 1998 to 2006 at a total cost of 433.84 million US dollars by the Government of India with the World Bank financing about half of the programme cost.
In its Implementation Completion Report, the World Bank says that if the programme had been targeted well with strong health and nutrition education and counselling, it would have had a “stronger and more efficient” impact in improving the health and nutritional status of children.
Serious problems
This version of the Integrated Child Development Services, like its earlier two versions, suffered from “serious problems” relating to project funds release, procurement, and disbursement.
“The GOI and the Bank should have anticipated such problems since this project was a third operation of the same nature,” says the ICR.
It suggests that while supporting a multi-sectoral project such as the ICDS, the Bank should also ensure institutional coordination between related sectors such as education, heath, and nutrition.
Social development
The report lists achievements in terms of social development of ICDS III as making available “some” pre-schooling and access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation through the installation of hand-pumps under the project to almost 4.4 million children of 3-6 years of age.
“Except for some private institutions, Integrated Child Development Services centres are virtually the only place offering pre-school education in India,” says the report.
Besides, funding for Integrated Child Development Services programme doubled from the Ninth Plan period to the 10th Plan period, says the report which has been summarised in the World Bank’s latest newsletter.
