Decentralized Provisioning of Supplementary Nutrition for the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in Mumbai

This study is an attempt to examine the decentralized production of supplementary nutrition which has been instituted for the Integrated Child Development Services in urban Maharashtra, specifically, Mumbai. The ‘best practice’ under investigation is the local production of food by self-help groups from the community where the anganwadi centre (AWC) is located, which is believed to allow for better quality of food as compared to the centralized model, as well as have the added advantages of allowing for greater community participation, transparency and accountability. The engagement of women (by way of self- help groups) in the production process is also expected to contribute towards the economic and social empowerment of the contributing members.