Why anganwadis need urgent re-imagining

The goal of becoming a developed country by 2047 calls for a National Mission on Early Childhood Development, Care and Education, to invest in the future of children today, who will be the country's youth 22 years later

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When we imagine India in 2047, we visualise a modern nation with skyscrapers, highways and a robust economy- a Viksit Bharat.

But what lies at the core of this robust economy is not just its infrastructure, but also an economy fuelled by qualified young professionals at every level, working together to make India a $40-trillion economy.

It lies in the minds we shape today. Children being born today will be 22 years old in 2047; they are the future of the country. Their - and our - future depends on how we invest in the first six years of their lives, when nearly 85% of brain development takes place.

Economically, the case is clear. Studies show that every rupee invested yields a 13-rupee return in higher future earnings. In moral terms, the case is even clearer: A child's potential should never be determined by the place of their birth or the income of their parents.

Over the past five decades, India has quietly built one of the largest childcare infrastructures in the world, consisting of more than 25 lakh anganwadi workers and helpers. This is a workforce as large as the Army and Railways combined and caters to over 10 crore mothers and children under six. By reimagining the government's Integrated Child Development Scheme-Anganwadi system, we can transform it into the world's most powerful platform for human capital creation.

Most people still see anganwadis as primarily "porridge centres". While providing adequate nutrition is an important part of the system, it is not the system itself. India both needs and deserves more. As incomes rise and women enter the workforce, the demand has expanded from supplementary nutrition to high-quality childcare and early education. Parents want safe spaces for their children to learn and play, thereby also providing opportunities for mothers to work full days.