The main centrally sponsored / centrally assisted schemes having direct nutrition component for women and children under implementation  are Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS), Mid Day Meal. There are certain interventions under National Rural Health Mission to prevent and combat Micronutrient deficiency including Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation, Vitamin- A supplementation and the National Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (NIDDCP). Under NRHM, Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres are also being set up for inpatient management of severely malnourished children. So far 1898 NRCs have been set up.

The recently introduced Rajiv Gandhi Schemes for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG), namely SABLA would provide a package of services including health and nutrition to adolescent girl in the age group of 11-14 years for out of school girls and 15-18 years for all girls for nutrition in 200 districts as a pilot.

There is no proposal to provide foodgrains to malnourished girls and pregnant women free of cost. However, Pregnant women are provided Take Home Rations under ICDS Scheme. Beside Under the Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls (NPAG), 6 kgs of free foodgrains, per month, per beneficiary were being provided to undernourished Adolescent Girls (11-19 years) in 51 selected districts across the Country until 2009-10. The number of undernourished girls benefited under NPAG in last three years in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 was 23.26 lakh, 30.61 lakh and 20.53 lakh respectively.

NPAG has now been subsumed in Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) from 2010-11 and under which Hot Cooked Meal/Take Home Ration would be given to the beneficiaries.

The States/UTs, were requested in July, 2009, for suggestions on mechanisms for better delivery  of services and efficiency in the implementation of  Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme. Suggestions have been received from 22 States/UTs, including Rajasthan.  The suggestions received inter-alia, include the following: ensuring economic security of the family; Panchayati Raj Institutions  be actively involved in monitoring and evaluation of the services    of Anganwadis and assess comparative performances with other Anganwadi Centres(AWCs); Improving the  infrastructure facilities at AWCs; creating a mechanism for accountability ; increasing the cost norms of supplementary nutrition programme and compensate the local community and SHGs for distribution of supplementary nutrition and promoting effective convergence  with line Departments.

These suggestions from States/UT would be given due consideration for improving   the implementation of the ICDS Scheme.

         Funds sanctioned/released and utilized by State Governments, during 2007-08,  2008-09, 2009-10 and  2010-11 (upto November 2010)  are given below:

Rs. in Crore

*   Expenditure reported by States/UTs includes State shares

*   The above figures includes all components like Training,

This information was given by Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister of State for Women and Child Development in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

YSK:PM