THE fate of women, young children and girls are inextricably linked together in a complex interacting cycle. This becomes poignantly evident in the case of the poor, who in India constitute slightly more than a third of the population. The consequences of poverty for children are in themselves severe. In addition, young children in families where both parents have to work in order to make ends meet suffer the double disadvantage of poverty and parental absence, the impact of which can be seen in the high infant mortality rate, the high incidence of morbidity, malnutrition, deficiency disorders and disabilities among children and low literacy levels.