Constituency Served

children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds; women

Details of Work

The DWCD is responsible for implementing the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme. This seeks to enhance the nutritional status of children below 7 years, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers. Pre-school activities for children between 3-6 years is one of the six services of the scheme. The ICDS is presently being implemented in about 185 projects in the state with 40,000 sanctioned anganwadi centres. The DWCD also runs a short stay observation home and two juvenile homes. The observation home in Madivala is for abandoned and street children below 18 years, and it also offers a family placement service. There is one juvenile home for boys and one for girls in the Kidwai hospital campus for children below 18 years. There is also a home for mentally retarded children above 3 years, where older children learn vocational skills in collaboration with the rehabilitation unit of NIMHANS*. The DWCD also funds Zilla panchayats to run destitute cottages for orphans. It has special scholarships for socio-economically disadvantaged children.