BMC dumps child health scheme

The cash-crunched BMC has been forced to suspend plans of taking over the management of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in Mumbai. The centrally-sponsored scheme is responsible for the maternal and child health and nutrition.

Over 5,000 Anganwadis operating under the scheme are responsible for providing supplementary nutrition and primary health services, among other things, to children below six years and to pregnant and lactating mothers. The scheme’s implementation is presently supervised by the Navi Mumbai based ICDS commissionerate.

Following an increase in child deaths owing to malnutrition last November, the civic body had proposed to take over the management of the scheme. Unable to efficiently undertake the scheme in the urban areas, the ICDS commissionerate had no problems with the take-over.

But the civic administration now states that it will not be able to take the additional burden. “If the BMC takes over the scheme, it will have to create new posts, identify lands to accommodate the Anganwadis, and pay salaries to the staff currently working in these Anganwadis,” said a senior civic official.

He added that the civic public health department, which was already overburdened with several national programmes, including malaria control, control of the spread of infectious diseases and dog sterlisation, did not have the manpower and the resources to handle the ICDS scheme.

The civic administration will soon table its stand before the group of political leaders in the BMC, who will take a final decision in this regard.