Context

• India’s aspiration to become a developed (‘Viksit’) nation and a $30 trillion economy by 2047 has become a defining narrative in contemporary public discourse.
• While this vision is both desirable and attainable, it cannot be realised solely through investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, and digital innovation.
• Developmental transitions historically succeed when nations prioritise human capital formation as much as physical capital.
• In India, however, one critical dimension of human development remains under-recognised: Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD).
• Far from being a welfare concern, ECCD represents a strategic economic investment with long-term implications for productivity, equity and national competitiveness.

The Importance of the Early Years

• Scientific evidence highlights the first 1,000 days of life, from conception to age two, as the period during which up to 85% of brain development and most neural connections are formed.
• Extending this window to eight years totals roughly 3,000 days, during which foundational cognitive, emotional, social and behavioural capacities take shape.
• Children who receive adequate nutrition, responsive care and cognitive stimulation during this period are more likely to complete schooling, acquire skills and contribute productively as adults.
• At a macro level, such cohorts reduce future public expenditure on healthcare and remedial education and expand the taxable workforce, demonstrating that ECCD generates durable, intergenerational returns.

India’s Progress and Remaining Gaps

• India’s own experience in child health illustrates the power of sustained investment.
• Over the past decades, programmes such as the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the Child Survival and Safe Motherhood initiative and the National Health Mission significantly reduced infant and child mortality and improved immunisation and nutrition outcomes.
• However, these efforts largely targeted survival, not developmental potential. Moreover, ECCD interventions have predominantly focused on low-income households.
• This targeted approach overlooks developmental challenges increasingly observed in middle- and upper-income families, including obesity, digital overexposure, reduced physical activity and delayed socio-emotional skills.
• Developmental risk is therefore more universal than assumed.

The Case for Early and Integrated Interventions

• Advances in neuroscience and epigenetics reinforce the need for interventions earlier than current policy frameworks provide.
• Parental nutrition, mental health, substance use and environmental exposures even before conception can affect gene expression and long-term health outcomes.
• Yet, formal support systems typically begin only around age three through Anganwadi centres or private preschools, well after the most critical developmental window has passed.
• The absence of parental support for responsive caregiving, stimulation and emotional bonding during the first 1,000 days represents a significant policy blind spot.
• To address these gaps, India must transition from fragmented programmes to an integrated ECCD framework that spans preconception to eight years of age.
• Key components include structured preconception counselling, nationwide parental education, growth and developmental milestone monitoring, quality early learning systems for children aged two to five, and collaboration across health, nutrition and education sectors.
• Schools, given their institutional reach, can evolve into holistic hubs for learning, nutrition and well-being rather than merely instructional spaces. 

The Way Forward: Towards a Societal and Policy Movement

• Realising such a transformation requires both state action and societal ownership. ECCD must become a subject of public conversation within homes, communities, workplaces and schools.
• Non-profit organisations, philanthropic institutions and the private sector can play critical roles in shaping ecosystems of care and learning.
• At the governmental level, effective coordination among ministries, including Health, Education and Women and Child Development, is essential.
• A dedicated inter-ministerial mission on ECCD could formalise responsibilities, streamline investments and ensure continuity across election and policy cycles.

Conclusion

• India’s long-term developmental trajectory will depend less on what it promises its children and more on what it invests in them during their earliest years.
• ECCD is not an optional add-on to India’s growth strategy; it is its foundation.
• The health, skills and productivity of future generations will ultimately determine whether India’s ambitions of becoming a developed nation are realised.
• A citizen-led movement for early childhood development, backed by robust policy and institutional frameworks, may prove to be the missing link in India’s journey towards inclusive and sustainable prosperity.