Govt under fire for ‘poor’ anganwadi infrastructure & ration e-KYC issue

Raipur: The opposition staged two walkouts in the Chhattisgarh assembly on Monday over separate issues including poor infrastructure at anganwadi centres in Bastar division and stoppage of ration to beneficiaries in Bilaspur district over incomplete e-KYC.Raising the issue, Congress MLA Lakheshwar Baghel flagged the condition of anganwadi centres in Bastar and questioned how centres could function without buildings, toilets and drinking water. Replying in the House, women and child development minister Laxmi Rajwade said Bastar division has 9,876 anganwadi centres, of which 7,667 have buildings, while 2,209 are running without buildings. She said 962 buildings are dilapidated, 6,431 centres have drinking water and 5,632 have toilet facilities. The opposition, however, said the response was not satisfactory, especially on a timeline for construction and repairs.The House also witnessed a sharp exchange over ration allocation in Bilaspur district, where Congress MLA Dilip Lahariya raised the issue of foodgrain allotment being stopped for ration card holders whose e-KYC remained incomplete. Food minister Dayaldas Baghel said distribution had been halted for those whose KYC was pending, but added that allotment was continuing for certain offline-linked ration cards.