Job Involvement among ICDS Scheme Functionaries in India: Assessing Extension Needs for Enhanced Performance

Abstract

Job involvement is psychological identification with one’s work as well as degree to which the job situation is central to person and his identity. Human behavior plays a pivotal role in maximizing organizational effectiveness irrespective of the technological support and their involvement in their job is critical for successful achievement of its objectives. ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) is a comprehensive scheme of Govt. of India enriches human resource and tackles malnutrition and health problems in children below six years of age and their mothers. The services to the beneficiaries, who are pregnant women, Lactating Mothers, children under 5 years, adolescents and adult women, are provided at Centre called as Anganwadi. The grass-root level functionaries at the center are called Anganwadi workers (AWW) who executes ICDS scheme as per the Government guidelines to raise the level of health and nutrition, create proper mental, physical and social development of children below six years; to reduce mortality and malnutrition and dropouts. Since job involvement contributes to overall availability of human resource, the success of the ICDS programme extents to effective and successful working of AWWs. The study was conducted to know the job- involvement of AWWs and AWHs – the grass-root functionaries of ICDS  scheme. The conducted in one of the blocks of Faizabad District situated in Eastern part of Uttar Pradesh state. One hundred AWWs were randomly selected from 182 AWWs in the block and administered interview schedule and standardized Job Involvement scale by Dr. A.P Singh. The data collected revealed that AWWs were highly involved (47%), moderately involved (37%) and rest (16%) had low involvement. Analysis further found that job involvement and income of the workers; educational qualification and work experience are significantly dependent.