Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS)

Under the Partnership Initiative with the Chandigarh Administration, Bharat Prakarsh Foundation monitored 14 Anganwadi centers under ICDS for quality improvement.

The ICDS Project was started by the Ministry of Human Resources Development in 1975-76 with an aim of holistic development of children and empowerment of mothers. The incidences of mortality, morbidity and malnutrition among the children were very high. To reduce these incidences, ICDS Projects were started with an objective to improve the nutritional and health status of pre-school children by providing a package of services including supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, immunization, health check-up, referral services, nutrition and health education. The successful implementation of this scheme rests on the commitment of Anganwadi workers who are the grassroot honorary workers. The AWCs caters to day care of 3–6-year-old children. We initiated a Model Anganwadi Project- “Phulwari” which can be replicated across the country.

Research:

BPF also facilitated a research project on “Child Malnutrition in Anganwadis” evaluated by Dr. Prakarsh Singh (a Trustee of the Foundation). Papers published:

1. “Performance bonuses in the public sector: Winner-take-all prizes versus proportional payments to reduce child malnutrition in India“, joint with William Masters, 2020. Journal of Development Economics. Volume 146,Published by: Elsevier.
2. “Impact of Caregiver Incentives on Child Health: Evidence from an Experiment with Anganwadi Workers in India”, joint with William Masters, 2017. Journal of Health Economics.Volume 55, September, Pages 219-231. Published by: Elsevier.
3. “Incentives, Information and Malnutrition: Evidence from an experiment in India”, joint with Sandip Mitra, 2017. European Economic Review, Volume 93, pages 24-46. Published by: Elsevier.
4. “Performance Pay and Information: Reducing child undernutrition in India”,Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2015, Vol 112, pp. 141-163, April. Published by: Elsevier.
5. “Searching for Religious Discrimination: Experimental Evidence from an Artefactual Field Experiment among Anganwadi Workers in India”, joint with Utteeyo Dasgupta and Subha Mani, 2020. Review of Development Economics, 24 (2): 362-382. Published by: Wiley.