A child in India needs different help at different ages. A baby needs food and health care. A teenager needs school, safety and nutrition.
This lesson follows the main welfare schemes in that order. It shows how each scheme hands the child on to the next.
Anganwadi: a village or neighbourhood centre run under the child development scheme. Think of it as a small community nursery that also gives food and health advice. A trained worker runs it. It matters because most welfare schemes for young children reach families through this one door.
Stunting: a child being too short for their age because of long-term poor nutrition. A child who eats too little in the first years may never catch up in height. It also affects learning. This is why nutrition schemes target the early years.
Hazardous occupation: work that can harm health or safety, such as work in mines or with dangerous machines. A teenager may do light, safe work in some cases. Hazardous work is closed to everyone under 18. The law draws this line to protect growing bodies.
Convergence: making several schemes work together at one place. For example, one Anganwadi can give food, vaccines and pre-school lessons together. This saves families from visiting many offices. It also stops schemes from overlapping.
What Do the Early-Years Schemes Offer?
What is ICDS and who does it serve?
The Integrated Child Development Services scheme began in 1975-76 as an experiment. It gives children a joined-up start instead of separate, scattered services.
It serves children aged 6 months to 6 years, pregnant women and nursing mothers. All services are delivered through Anganwadi centres.
The scheme bundles six services:
- Supplementary nutrition.
- Immunisation.
- Health check-ups.
- Referral services.
- Nutrition and health education.
- Pre-school education.
A mother can reach all six in one familiar place. That is the idea of convergence in practice.
Sources: Punjab Department of Social Security and Women and Child Development, ICDS scheme.
Check 1
ICDS delivers its six services through Anganwadi centres.
What does RBSK screen for?
The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) checks children from birth to 18 years. Trained mobile health teams do the screening. Early checks catch problems before they grow.
It looks for the 4Ds:
- Defects at birth.
- Deficiencies.
- Diseases.
- Developmental delays, including disabilities.
Children who need more care are sent to a District Early Intervention Centre at the district hospital. There, the case is assessed and a plan is carried out.
Sources: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, District Early Intervention Centre guidelines.
Check 2
RBSK screens only newborn babies in hospitals.
How Does the Law Protect Children From Work?
What does the child labour law say?
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 sets two age groups. A child has not completed the 14th year. An adolescent has completed 14 but not 18.
The Act bans children from all occupations. It bans adolescents from hazardous occupations and processes.
One exception exists. A child may help the family or a family enterprise, if the work is not hazardous. It must be done after school hours or in vacations.
| Age group | Meaning in the Act | What is barred |
|---|---|---|
| Child | Has not completed 14 years | All occupations (family help after school allowed if not hazardous) |
| Adolescent | Completed 14 but not 18 years | Hazardous occupations and processes only |
Sources: PRS India, Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016.
Check 3
Under the 2016 Act, an adolescent is barred from every kind of work.
Why does protection sit beside the labour law?
A child protection scheme helps children in hard situations, such as those abandoned or abused. The labour law stops harm before it starts. Both aim to keep a child safe, learning and growing.
The exam point is simple. Know the age limits, and know which age group is barred from which work.
How Do School and Nutrition Schemes Fit In?
What is Samagra Shiksha?
Samagra Shiksha was launched on 24 May 2018. It is an integrated scheme for school education from pre-school to Class 12.
It joins three earlier parts into one:
- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
- Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA).
- Teacher education.
One scheme means less overlap between school stages. A child moving from primary to secondary stays within one plan.
Sources: Morung Express, Samagra Shiksha launch.
Check 4
Samagra Shiksha covers school education from pre-school to Class 12.
What is POSHAN Abhiyaan?
POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched on 8 March 2018. It was earlier called the National Nutrition Mission. It tackles malnutrition through a life-cycle approach.
It serves children aged 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Its fixed targets are yearly cuts:
- Stunting in children: 2% a year.
- Under-nutrition in children: 2% a year.
- Anaemia in young children and in women aged 15-49: 3% a year.
- Low birth weight: 2% a year.
It builds on the Anganwadi network, rather than creating a new one.
Sources: PIB, POSHAN Abhiyaan explainer.
What is Mission Poshan 2.0?
Mission Poshan 2.0 was announced in Union Budget 2021-22. It brings the Supplementary Nutrition Programme and POSHAN Abhiyaan together. The Anganwadi Services and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls sit under it too.
In simple terms, nutrition support for the mother, the baby and the teenager is now managed under one mission.
Sources: PIB, POSHAN Abhiyaan explainer.
Check 5
Mission Poshan 2.0 replaced the Anganwadi network with a new delivery system.
How does technology help POSHAN Abhiyaan?
The POSHAN Tracker is a mobile app used at Anganwadi centres. It records which children and mothers receive services. Workers can then see who has missed a visit.
About 9.84 crore beneficiaries were registered on it by 2 September 2022. Close to 80.2% had their Aadhaar linked.
The app also lets a pregnant or nursing mother move from one Anganwadi to another, even across States. Her records travel with her, so support does not stop when she moves.
The country also marks Rashtriya Poshan Maah, a month of nutrition awareness. The aim is to turn a government programme into a people’s movement.
Sources: PIB, POSHAN Abhiyaan explainer.
How large is the task RBSK takes on?
The scale explains why screening is organised in teams. Guidelines note nearly 160 million children below five years, about 13.2% of the population. They add about 360 million children aged 6 to 18 years, many in government and aided schools.
So screening is built into school health work as well as into birth care. Infants born at public health facilities and at home are meant to be reached.
The goal is a fast link from a check-up to treatment. A finding that is not followed up helps nobody.
Sources: MoHFW, RBSK operational guidelines.
Check 7
RBSK also reaches school-age children, not only infants.
What does Poshan 2.0 actually cover?
Poshan 2.0 has several verticals. Among them are nutrition support through the Supplementary Nutrition Programme for children aged 6 months to 6 years, and for pregnant women and nursing mothers. It also covers early childhood care and education for ages 3-6, and early stimulation for ages 0-3.
Another vertical builds modern, upgraded Saksham Anganwadi buildings. It also deals with maternal nutrition, infant feeding norms and treatment of severely and moderately malnourished children.
The pattern is clear: food, learning and buildings are planned together.
Sources: PIB, POSHAN Abhiyaan explainer.
What should you remember for exams?
A few firm facts carry this topic. Keep them ready.
- ICDS: 6 services, age 6 months to 6 years, via Anganwadi.
- RBSK: 0-18 years, the 4Ds.
- Child: under 14. Adolescent: 14 to under 18.
- Samagra Shiksha: 24 May 2018; POSHAN Abhiyaan: 8 March 2018.
Place each scheme at its age stage, and the whole list becomes easy to recall.
Sources: .
Check 6
POSHAN Abhiyaan began in March 2018.
MCQ on Welfare Schemes for Children
Share your thoughts