01 September,2026 01:25 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondent
Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr Shrikar Pardeshi at a workshop in Pune. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Maharashtra needs a coordinated, multi-departmental approach to early childhood development, with a particular focus on the first 1,000 days of a child's life, Chief Minister's Principal Secretary Dr Shrikar Pardeshi said at a workshop organised at Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA) in Pune on Tuesday.
The workshop on âEarly Childhood Development' was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar Agarwal. The programme focused on preparing an action plan for the holistic development of children and improving the implementation of existing government schemes.
Addressing the workshop, Dr Pardeshi said early childhood development should not be viewed as the responsibility of a single government department. Instead, departments dealing with health, women and child development, education, tribal development, urban development, water and sanitation, among others, need to work together to achieve better outcomes for children.
Dr Pardeshi stressed that the first 1,000 days - from conception to the child's first two years - are critical for brain development and overall growth. Interventions by the government, society and parents during this period can have a lasting impact on a child's health, learning ability and future development.
"Once a child moves beyond a particular developmental stage, the opportunities to achieve certain milestones are not available in the same manner. Therefore, timely intervention during the early years is essential," Dr Pardeshi said.
Referring to data from the National Family Health Survey, Dr Pardeshi said Maharashtra has made significant progress in reducing the prevalence of stunting among children. The proportion, which was around 46 per cent during the third round of the survey, has declined considerably and stands at around 29.5 per cent in the latest survey.
He said Maharashtra is regarded as an economic engine of the country, but the state must also accelerate its progress on social development indicators.
"Improving age-appropriate height and growth among children requires more effective and sustained efforts," he said.
Dr Pardeshi highlighted that early childhood development goes far beyond health and nutrition. It is closely linked to pre-primary education, school performance, future productivity and human capital development.
Adequate nutrition contributes to better health, which in turn can improve school attendance and learning capacity. Better educational outcomes can eventually enhance productivity and contribute to a better quality of life.
He said investments and interventions during early childhood should therefore be viewed as investments in the creation of a healthier, better educated and more productive society.
The principal secretary also underlined the connection between early childhood development and several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including ending hunger, ensuring good health, quality education, gender equality, poverty reduction, decent work, and economic growth.
He referred to a meeting of the SDG Action Cell chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on July 23, where detailed discussions were held on areas in which Maharashtra needs to improve its performance.
Early childhood development, he said, is a cross-cutting issue capable of influencing several SDG indicators simultaneously.
Dr Pardeshi said the objective of the workshop was not merely to introduce new schemes or initiatives, but to identify gaps in existing programmes and improve their implementation.
The focus would be on identifying shortcomings in existing schemes, expanding successful initiatives on a larger scale and finding practical solutions to improve delivery at the grassroots level.
"Effective convergence among departments is essential. We need to identify what is already working, address the gaps and scale up successful practices," he said.
Pardeshi also stressed the importance of monitoring outcomes rather than merely measuring whether a scheme has been implemented. The actual impact of government interventions on children's health, nutrition, development and learning abilities needs to be assessed and used to make further improvements.
A key component of the workshop is a presentation on Meghalaya's work in early childhood development. Meghalaya Principal Secretary Sampath Kumar is expected to present the state's experience and successful initiatives.
The Meghalaya model had earlier been presented at the conference of Chief Secretaries chaired by the Prime Minister.
Dr Pardeshi said Maharashtra could study Meghalaya's experience and explore how similar interventions could be adapted and implemented on a much larger scale, considering Maharashtra's vast geographical spread and social diversity.
The workshop has been organised around the approach of "Learn, reflect, innovate and find actionable solutions."
The objective is to bring together policymakers, field-level officials, medical experts, district-level administrators, and representatives from various departments to identify practical interventions that can be implemented on the ground.
Dr Pardeshi also emphasised the need to improve learning outcomes among students in zilla parishad and municipal schools. Better learning outcomes, he said, could have a positive impact on several Sustainable Development Goals.
Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar Agarwal inaugurated the workshop. Public Health Department Principal Secretary Dr Nipun Vinayak, Meghalaya Principal Secretary Sampath Kumar, Tribal Development Secretary Vijay Waghmare, Rural Development Secretary Dr Chandrakant Pulkundwar, and YASHADA Director General Dr Suhas Diwase, along with senior officials from various departments, zilla parishad chief executive officers and medical experts, attended the workshop.
The programme was conducted by Seema Jagtap, while YASHADA Deputy Director General Dr Mallinath Kalashetti proposed the vote of thanks.
