Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is a government program in India which provides nutritional meals, preschool education, primary healthcare, immunization, health check-up and referral services to children under 6 years of age and their mothers. The scheme was launched in 1975, discontinued in 1978 by the government of Morarji Desai, and then relaunched by the Tenth Five Year Plan. Tenth five-year plan also linked ICDS to Anganwadi centres established mainly in rural areas and staffed with frontline workers. In addition to improving child nutrition and immunization, the programme is also intended to combat gender inequality by providing girls the same resources as boys. A 2005 study found that the ICDS programme was not particularly effective in reducing malnutrition, largely because of implementation problems and because the poorest states had received the least coverage and funding. During the 2018–19 fiscal year, the Indian federal government allocated to the programme, which is 60% of the funding for the programme while the states allocated the remaining 40%. The widespread network of ICDS has an important role in combating malnutrition especially for children of weaker groups. Background The infant mortality rate of Indian children is 34 and the under-five mortality rate is 39 and 25% of newborn children are underweight among other nutritional, immunization and educational deficiencies of children in India. Figures for India are below the standards of the developed world. ICDS was launched in 1975 in accordance to the National Policy for Children in India. Over the years it has grown into one of the largest integrated family and community welfare schemes in the world. Given its effectiveness over the last few decades, Government of India has committed towards ensuring universal availability of the programme. Scope of services The following services are sponsored under ICDS to help achieve its objectives: Supplementary nutrition Nutrition and Health Education Immunisation Health checkup Referral services Pre-school education(Non-Formal) Contraceptive counselling for adolescents Implementation For nutritional purposes ICDS provides 500 kilocalories (with 12–15 grams of protein) every day to every child from 6 months to 6 years of age. For adolescent girls in the age group of 10 to 19, 6 kilograms of food grain is given every months. The services of Immunisation, Health Check-up and Referral Services delivered through Public Health Infrastructure under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. UNICEF has provided essential supplies for the ICDS scheme since 1975. World Bank has also assisted with