Govt announces upgrade of all anganwadi centres

Bhubaneswar: To strengthen early childhood care and development, state govt on Tuesday announced that all 74,224 anganwadi centres across the state will be transformed into ‘Saksham anganwadi' centres. Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida made the announcement while inaugurating 913 new anganwadi centres virtually from here.Speaking on the occasion, Parida described anganwadi centres as the cornerstone of child and women welfare at the grassroots level. "After long anticipation, 913 anganwadi centres in the state finally received their own dedicated buildings. We are committed to transforming every centre into a ‘Saksham anganwadi' in a campaign mode," she said. With the iniative, the govt aimed not only to enhance the infrastructure of anganwadi centres but also to turn them into vibrant hubs for child development, women's empowerment and community engagement, Parida said.She further directed district collectors to give special attention to centres functioning in vulnerable conditions. She also hailed the success of ‘Aas Bulijiba anganwadi' (Let's visit anganwadi) campaign, which saw active participation of over 2.99 lakh people, turning it into a mass movement.Joining the programme virtually from Sambalpur, Panchayati raj and drinking water minister Rabi Narayan Naik underlined the govt's commitment to improve the basic infrastructure of all centres. Stressing the importance of sanitation and safe drinking water facilities, Naik said, "Anganwadi centres are the foundation of Viksit Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047."Anganwadi workers and helpers from different districts participated virtually and hailed the new facilities. The programme was attended by women and child development director Monisha Banerjee, other senior officers including district collectors, chief development officers, block development officers, district social welfare officers, child development project officers, and senior officials of both departments.