Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is India’s response to the challenge of breaking a vicious cycle of malnutrition, impaired development, morbidity and mortality in young children. Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) under ICDS is primarily designed to bridge the gap between the recommendatory dietary allowance and average daily intake. Every beneficiary of SNP is provided supplementary nutrition (SN) for 300 days in a year, which is supplied by the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) in the form of cooked meals and Take Home Ration (THR). In Madhya Pradesh, Rs 5012.17 crore was incurred on implementation of SNP during 2011-12 to 2015-16. A performance audit of the implementation of ICDS (Supplementary Nutrition Programme) in Madhya Pradesh during the period 2011-16 revealed the following:

1. Financial Management: State Government provided allocated food grains to District Programme Officers (DPOs) through Madhya Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation (MPSCSC) for release under SNP. Audit scrutiny revealed that DPOs did not adhere to Central Issue Price (CIP) of wheat and rice and payments were made to MPSCSC at higher rates. This resulted in excess payment of Rs 40.87 crore to MPSCSC during 2012-13 to 2014-15. Further, unreconciled advance of Rs 13.81 crore was lying with MPSCSC on account of short lifted food grains by DPOs.
2. Madhya Pradesh State Agro Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. (MP Agro), which was the agency for supply of THR packets, utilised excess wheat and rice as compared to quantity of food grains required for THR packets actually supplied by it. Department did not reconcile the reasons for excess utilised food grains, which resulted in undue financial benefits of Rs 15.57 crore to MP Agro.
3. Short coverage of beneficiary: ICDS was to be extended to all children upto the age of six years and all pregnant and lactating mothers. During 2011-16, 20.94 lakh registered children in the age group of six months to three years, 57.02 lakh registered children in age group of three years to six years and 7.99 lakh registered pregnant and lactating mothers were not provided SN. The shortfall was due to deficient infrastructure at AWCs, preparation of less quantity of SN or at times no supply of SN and long distances of AWCs, which acted as disincentives to enrolled beneficiaries affecting their attendance at AWCs.
4. Disruption in delivery of services: In 14 test-checked Project Offices, SN was not supplied during various months (ranged from one day to 120 days) during 2011-12 to 2015-16 in 983 AWCs having 37,079 registered beneficiaries.
5. Distribution of cooked meal: There was a shortfall of 24432.05 MT wheat and 3592.06 MT rice in distribution to Self Help Groups (SHGs) engaged in preparation of cooked meal during year 2011-16, which affected the distribution of cooked meal to beneficiaries.
6. Shortage of AWCs in the State: There was shortage of 18604 AWCs and 3400 Mini-AWCs in the State as of March 2016 as per population norms laid down by Government of India. Out of total 61755 villages/wards in the State, 11156 villages/wards covering 53.84 lakh population were without AWCs. GOI sanctioned 4305 (November 2014), however, these AWCs were not opened.
7. Growth monitoring and nutritional status of children: As per National Family Health Survey (2015-16), there were 9.2 per cent of severely malnourished children in the State. Thus, State could not achieve target for reducing severely malnourished children from 12.6 per cent to 5 per cent. Similarly, State was lagging behind the targets set for reducing percentage of underweight children and under-5 mortality rate.
8. Monitoring of the scheme: Meeting of State Level Monitoring and Review Committee was not held. Monitoring and Review Committee was not constituted at District and Block level for proper monitoring and supervision.