The meaning of the word ‘Anganwadi’ in the English language is “courtyard shelter”. The word Anganwadi is derived from the Hindi word “Aangan”, it refers to the courtyard of a house. Aangan is a rural Indian term for “a place where people get together to discuss, greet, and socialize their matters”. The Aangan is also used occasionally to cook food or for household members to sleep in an open air. This part of the house is seen as the heart of the house and is considered a sacred place.
Anganwadi Programme
Anganwadi is a government-sponsored child-care and mother-care development programmes in India at the village level. It caters to children in the 0-6 age group. The concept was started by the Indian government in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services program to combat child hunger and malnutrition.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is the only major national program that addresses the needs of children under the age of 06 years. It seeks to provide young children with an integrated package of services such as supplementary nutrition, health care and pre-school education. Because the health and nutrition needs of a child cannot be addressed in isolation from those of his or her mother. The program also extends to adolescent girls, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Objectives of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
- To improve the nutritional and health status of children below the age of six years.
- To lay the foundation for the proper psychological, physical and social development of the child.
- To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropouts.
- To achieve effective coordination of policy and implementation among various departments to promote child development.
- To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health, nutritional and developmental needs of the child through proper community education.
Basics of the Aanganwadi Program (ICDS)
The basic services provided under ICDS are mentioned under three headings like nutrition, health and pre-school education. These are as follows: –
- Nutrition including Supplementary Nutrition, Growth Monitoring and Promotion, Nutrition and health education to focus on the chances of controlling malnutrition. Aanganwadi plays a key role for reducing the malnutrition if identified by the center.
- Health consisting of immunization for children, health services and referral services consisting focus on the pregnant mother
- Pre-School Education The aim of PSE is to provide a learning environment for children under the age group of 3-6 years, and early care and stimulation for children under the age of three. PSE is provided through the medium of “play” to promote the social, emotional, cognitive, physical and aesthetic development of the child as well as to prepare him/her for primary schooling.
Changing Anganwadi faces at village gram panchayat Jamsar
Anganwadi canter played a key role form the holistic development of children. Gram panchayat Jamsar comprises seven Anganwadi centers including one mini Aanganwadi in nine different padas of gram panchayat. The day at Aanganwadi begins with a small prayer by the Aanganwadi workers and helper. Later the attendance of all the children was recorded. The model Aanganwadi attracted an increase in the attendance count of enrolled children at the center. The capacity building training and teaching learning material were also distributed by few NGOs. Some Aanganwadi canters had one or two moderate malnourished children as per their body mass index. The center provided nutritious food to all children having different menu every day including pulse pudding, rice, eggs, peanut ladoo, etc.
The Aanganwadi center also taking proper care of health status of pregnant and lactating mother. Various health awareness session was also conducted at the Aanganwadi centers with the collective support of Accredited Social Health Activist, Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife and Aanganwadi Workers. In case of any emergency medical assistance the patients were referred to the nearest health facility at Jamsar or Sub-District Hospital, Jawhar. The community immunization was also conducted at the Aanganwadi centers.
The Aanganwadi workers also took active participation at the gram panchayat’s gram Sabha. Where they raised issues related to roads construction and building repair. Also, if any village or health survey need to be conducted at community level. The Aanganwadi workers played a key role for both the institution health facility and gram panchayat.
Role of Anganwadi Worker
There are many responsibilities and duties to be performed by an Anganwadi Worker recommended by the government. Some of them are:
- Showing community support and active participation in executing various government programmes.
- To participate actively for the regular survey of all families at village community.
- Organize pre-school activities, provide health and nutritional education to families especially to pregnant lactating mothers and menstruating girls.
- Motivating families to adopt family planning, educating parents about child growth and development so malnutrition can be reduced.
- Assist in the implementation and execution of Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY) to educate teenage girls and parents by organizing social awareness programs, identify disabilities in children and so on
To strengthen the Aanganwadi centre government of India pays attention towards Saksham Aanganwadi and POSHAN 2.O programs where the revision of budget was made to combat child protection services, malnutrition and strengthen early childhood care. The union Budget[1] 2025-26 has allocated Rs. 26,889.68 crore to the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), an increase from the revised estimate of Rs. 23,182.98 crore in 2024-25.
[1] Budget 2025-26: WCD gets hiked allocation of Rs Rs 26,889 cr – The Economic Times Feb 01, 2025
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