SOCIAL WELFARE AND NUTRITION
SOCIAL WELFARE 13.1 Programmes of social welfare as envisaged in the Plans are designed essentially to supplement the larger effort at human resource development. The objective is to improve the quality of life and to cater to the special needs of vulnerable sections like children, women and the handicapped through organised and sustained development activities.
Review 13.2 During the past three decades of planned development, social welfare as a Plan component has acquired great significance, as evidenced by its widening interface with Government and increasing participation by voluntary agencies. Upto the close of the Fourth Plan, most of the programmes were curative or ameliorative in nature. From the Fifth Plan onwards, emphasis has been on the promotion of preventive and developmental services. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme was one of the major programmes taken up in 1975-76 in the Central sector on an experimental basis. It was started in thirty three rural/tribal blocks and some urban slums, for providing children from poor families with the basic services of health, supplementary nutrition and non-formal pre-school education for a better start in life. On the basis of the positive results of these experimental projects, the pace of expansion of this programme was accelerated in the Sixth Plan. The programme has been evaluated through various studies, which revealed that some of the deficiencies noticed in the early stages had been looked into. The coverage of children below 3 years of age, which was found to be low, had started improving and there was an increase in the level of preventive health care and also greater utilisation of health services. An outstanding achievement in the implementation of the ICDS scheme has been the increase in the convergence of various mutually supportive services.
13.3 Grants continued to be given to voluntary organisations for providing creches for children of working/ ailing mothers in the unorganised sector. As per the recommendation of an expert group, constituted in 1981, the scheme "services for children in need of care and protection" was modified and the quantum of assistance to voluntary organisations enhanced. Training programmes for various functionaries connected with the implementation of the scheme were developed and launched in several States/Union Territories.
13.4 Programmes for promoting women's welfare received further fillip. These included socioeconomic programmes, which gave employment opportunities to needy women and disabled persons to supplement their family incomes or to bring about their economic rehabilitation; condensed courses/vocational training courses which prepared women for certain recognised examinations thus enabling them to qualify for specific jobs and acquire various skills; and hostels for women, which helped in providing women from far-flung areas with staying and day-care facilities for their children. However, not all such programmes have progressed satisfactorily. The performance of the scheme "Functional Literacy for Adult Women" (FLAW) which was being implemented in 551 ICDS project areas was evaluated through independent organisations. The average attendance of women in FLAW classes was not found to be satisfactory, reportedly sixteen against the envisaged thirty. The scheme on "welfare of destitute women" also did not make much headway.
13.5 Greater attention was paid to the effective implementation of various education, training and rehabilitation programmes for physically handicapped persons. The rates of scholarships to the handicapped were revised upward with effect from 1982-83. A new scheme of "Assistance to disabled persons for purchase/fitting of aids and appliances" was introduced in 1981 on the occasion of the International Year of the Disabled for the economically weak disabled persons. In addition to the special employment exchanges for the handicapped, special cells were set up in the normal employment exchanges to facilitate proper placement of the handicapped.
13.6 The Central Social Welfare Board continued to function as the focal and apex agency in the voluntary sector. It made notable progress in its on-going programmes and initiated new activities during the Plan period. From its traditional role of a funding agency, the Board assumed the role of a catalyst of social change. In this process it assisted about 12,000 voluntary organisations all over the country in the field of welfare of children,
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women and the handicapped. It made efforts to extend its programmes to the uncovered areas to the extent possible, by encouraging new voluntary organisations. The Board brought out a directory of the social welfare organisations aided by it. The Voluntary Action Bureau, set up in 1982 to meet the challenge of crimes and atrocities against women and children, and to create an awakening among the masses towards their social responsibility, made good progress. Similar bureaux were set up in all the States/UTs except in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Goa, Daman and Diu.
13.7 The Ministry of Social and Women's Welfare continued to give grants to universities/research institutions/professional bodies for (i) undertaking research studies and (ii) organising workshops/seminars which could help in identifying problem areas and research needs, discuss social problems and disseminate research findings. The National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) and the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) continued to undertake research studies and organise training courses/seminars/ workshops.
13.8 An Information and Mass Educational Cell was established with the aim of creating awareness of various social welfare schemes, to mobilise public opinion against social evils like atrocities against women, drinking, child marriage, etc., and to promote positive social attitudes. A plan of action was worked out and production of films and other software material was taken up.
13.9 During the Sixth Plan, several Central programmes had a number of achievements to their credit. These included the sanctioning of additional 869 ICDS projects bringing the total number of projects to 1019; institutional and non-institutional services to 32,000 children in need of care and protection; 4,785 condensed and vocational training courses benefiting 1,11 1,000 women; 3,589 socio- economic units covering 47,011 women and disabled persons; continuation of the national institutes for the handicpped, and assistance to 58 voluntary organisations for assisting about 25,000 disabled persons to acquire aids and appliances, besides providing various training and research programmes. In additional, 7,000 creche units covering 1,75,000 children and 344 working women's hostels with a total capacity of 22,150 inmates were functioning by the end of 1984-85. In addition to training functionaries for the ICDS scheme, the NIPCCD organised 364 workshops and seminars, brought out 175 publications and 60 other documents, and conducted 40 research studies.
13.10 Social Welfare programmes received further momentum in the State sector as well. Taking advantage of the Central ICDS model, some State Governments initiated similar projects. By March, 1985, 117 projects had been sanctioned. The other programmes under implementation were creches, balwadis, training-cum-production centres for women, institutional and noninstitutional services for socially and physically handicapped etc. Children's Acts were enacted in all the States except Nagaland. However, their enforcement is yet to be extended to about one-third of the districts in the country, and services under this legislation were not uniformly available in the covered districts.
13.11 In spite of an outlay of Rs. 272 crore on Social Welfare in the Sixth Plan, there exist wide gaps in coverage and quality. Certain drawbacks have also been observed in the functioning of various schemes. The reach of services in ICDS was affected due to the considerable backlog in training and posting of personnel at various levels, particularly at the anganwadi and supervisory levels. Sustained efforts were made to improve the quality of services being provided in the projects, including health cover and immunisation, training of the anganwadi workers, and technical supervision. Coordination between health and welfare departments continued to improve. Referral services were, however, available only in very few projects. Community participation needed improvement. The quality of training at even a single level of social service was not uniform.
13.12 By and large, the concentration of institutional services for children, women and the aged had been in the urban areas, and there were regional imbalances. Institutional services lacked the minimum standard of services, including adequate trained man-power and supervision. Though the grant-in-aid programme had been in existence for a long time, voluntary effort in the North Eastern Region and backward States has yet to develop fully. There was an increasing tendency among voluntary organisations to depend wholly on aid from Government. A proper field counselling system was lacking.
13.13 Monitoring of physical performance is essential for gearing up the programmes to attain the envisaged objectives. Whereas the ICDS programme was systematically monitored such inbuilt arrangements to facilitate corrective action for other programmes were lacking.
13.14 In a few States, the Social Welfare programmes continued to be weak, and lacking in perspective. These need to be reoriented, keeping in view the emerging social problems and changed socio- cultural milieu of the region. In some States, the Social Welfare programmes continue to be administered by more than one department. The administrative machinery at the State level continues to be traditional and, in many States, it is not equipped to formulate proper schemes. Induction of
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professional competence and establishment of linkages with grassroot level workers were not given adequate attention. State-level organisations need to be reoriented with an interdisciplinary mix of personnel, taking into consideration programme specifications and objectives. This would make project formulation and implementation more effective, and responsive to local needs. Feedback from States/UTs, particularly on achievement in terms of physical targets under various programmes, continued to be inadequate, resulting in ineffective review.
The strategy for the Seventh Plan 13.15 Social Welfare services in their various facets are preventive, promotive, developmental and rehabilitative in nature. They are designed to enable the targeted sections of society to realise their full petential for growth. The programmes of the Social Welfare sector are only supplementary in nature, designed as they are to meet certain needs of the most deprived and vulnerable members of society.
13.16 The welfare of children, women and the disabled is linked with the development of the family, the basic social unit. Family welfare can best be promoted by providing to its members greater opportunities for employment to augment their incomes substantially; for the most part, these opportunities would be in rural development, agriculture, animal husbandry and other such sectors.
13.17 Preventive and developmental services of a domiciliary nature would be accorded priority over institutional care, as the latter tends to be expensive, and lacks a familial atmosphere which is necessary for healthy growth. Institutional services would be developed wherever necessary and machinery would be geared up to enforce minimum standards of services in the institutions. The existing facilities for institutional care and training of inmates would be reviewed and modified wherever necessary in order to make the programmes more effective. As massive efforts cannot be undertaken in all the fields of social welfare due to financial and organisational constraints, a selective approach has to be adopted for undertaking various programmes with a view to maximising the benefits to a larger number and minimising administrative costs. Spreading resources thin over a large number of schemes would be avoided, in order to make an impact on the intended target groups.
13.18 Child welfare would be given the highest priority. The basic minimum child care services would be extended to the most vulnerable group, i.e. 0-6 years of age, specially the age-group 0-3 years, in order to reduce the high incidence of child mortality, morbidity and malnutrition in the country. More emphasis would be laid on enhancing the capabilities of the mother to look after the health and nutritional needs of the children. Effective coordination would be sought in the provision of health inputs, nutrition education, water supply and other relevant services in order to maximise the returns from investments. Schemes for the welfare of women and also the handicapped will be given greater attention.
13.19 The emerging nuclear family is exposed to severe economic and social strains, as the traditional mechanism of social security and adjustment in time of crisis and conflict has almost been eroded. Hence stress would be on further strengthening the supportive services to the family.
13.20 In programmes for women, greater stress would be laid on the generation of both skilled and unskilled employment and promotion of opportunities for higher level skills through proper education and vocational training. Areas for the introduction of new technologies for reducing drudgery of household work would be explored; studies would be taken up in this area. The lacunae in legislation which hinder the availing of benefits and which also discriminate against women as compared to men would be reviewed in order to make the laws more equitable and practical.
13.21 Education and training play a vital role in the socioeconomic rehabilitation of the physically handicapped. They would be encouraged to pursue education and vocational training through scholarships and other promotional aids in order to draw them closer to the normal stream of life. Prevention of disabilities through early detection and treatment of the physically handicapped would be given relatively high priority compared to purely curative services. Training institutions will be strengthened and expanded in order to make them perform the roles expected of them at the national level. Special attention would be given to the development of multi- disciplinary services, both in identification and treatment of the handicapped. Facilities for fitting of aids and appliances, particularly in the remote and backward areas, would be expanded in order to enable the beneficiaries to participate in economic and cultural activities to the fullest possible extent.
13.22 The Central Social Welfare Board and its counterparts in the States would be required to shoulder more responsibilty in promoting, strengthening and stimulating voluntary effort in different sub-sectors of social welfare and specifically in the areas of children's and women's welfare. The existing arrangements for coordination between the State Boards and State Departments of Social Welfare would be reviewed in order to avoid any duplication of effort. Voluntary agencies will be aided to take up activities in the backward, tribal and rural areas, rather than concentrating their efforts in the urban and metropolitan
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centres. Besides the programme support, grants-in-aid would be given for strengthening their administrative capabilities and expanding their programme coverage particularly in respect of children, women and the handicapped. The existing procedure for the release of grants would be reviewed with a view to make the grant-in-aid programme more simple and responsive to the needs of the voluntary agencies.
13.23 During the previous Plans, welfare services have expanded considerably, particularly in the areas of child and women's welfare. Besides, a variety of programmes for the economically weaker sections have been introduced by different Ministries at the Centre and also by the State Governments. The administrative machinery for project identification, formulation and implementation, particularly at the State level, would need to be strengthened, taking into account the programme content and coverage. Professionally trained technical manpower would have to be inducted at decision-making and supervisory levels. Functionaries engaged at different levels in the on-going schemes would have to be suitably trained to make them acquire the basic skills required for programme management.
13.24 Social Welfare programmes by their very nature will not succeed unless the local communities and beneficiaries participate fully and extend their cooperation in all stages of implementation. They would have to be involved in identification of local needs and prospective beneficiaries, delivery of services and programme super- vision. Welfare Advisory Committees at different levels with representatives from local bodies and other community agencies would have to be constituted to deliver benefits to the intended target groups.
Seventh Plan Programmes 13.25 Child welfare: The major programme of ICDS seeks to lay a solid foundation for the development of the nation's human resource by providing an integrated package of early childhood services. These consist of (i) supplementary nutrition, (ii) immunisation, (iii) health check-up, (iv) referral services, (v) nutrition and health education and (vi) non-formal education to children below 6 years of age and pregnant and nursing mothers in most backward rural/tribal blocks and urban slums. While the programme would be expanded, emphasis will be on consolidation and improving the quality of services. The health component of the programme, viz., immunisation, health check-up, Vitamin 'A' prophylaxis, and iron and folic acid distribution, would be strengthened with stress on uninterrupted delivery of services. Necessary action would be initiated for maintaining the "cold chain" for the proper storage of vaccines. Efforts would be made to see that these services specially reach children below 3 years of age. Greater stress would be laid on the training of functionaries, as well as on their continued education through periodical refresher training courses. The mechanism for effective coordination between welfare and health departments at the block levels would be strengthened. Community support and participation would be elicited in running the programme. Further streamlining of the monitoring mechanism is envisaged for timely modifications and corrections in the programme, wherever necessary. Voluntary agencies and individual talent will be utilised in programme supervision, review and monitoring. They will be given financial and organisational support for this purpose.
13.26 The schemes for (i) services for children in need of care and protection and (ii) creches for the children of working/ailing mothers would be moderately expanded. It is proposed to ensure a minimum standards of services in the children's homes and creches through properly trained staff and adequate supervision. The training programme in the children's homes would be diversified and further vocationalised in order to provide larger employment opportunities to children once they have some degree of maturity. Setting up of separate institutions for these purposes would thereby be avoided. The services of institutions like ITIs and other training-cum- production centres, etc., would be availed of.