BHUBANESWAR: THE State Government has miserably failed to provide basic infrastructure facilities in anganwadi centres (AWCs) despite availability of adequate funds.
While 60 per cent of the 71,306 anganwadi centres in the State do not have own buildings, 76 pc have no toilet facility. Permanent kitchen is not available in 46,486 centres (65 pc). Anganwadi centres are the focal point of delivery of basic health care, supplementary nutrition, pre-school education and immunisation to children, pregnant women and lactating mothers under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.
“Even after 40 years of implementation of the scheme, the State could not ensure 100 pc coverage of the eligible beneficiaries. Only 40 pc of the AWCs were having dedicated ICDS buildings for delivery of services to the beneficiaries,” the latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on General and Social sector stated.Out of 71,306 anganwadi centres in the State, only 28,187 (40 pc) had dedicated ICDS buildings. The pace of construction of ICDS buildings was slow, as only 14,059 (53 pc) out of 26,690 buildings, sanctioned for construction during 2010-16, were completed, the report said.
Though the State Government had sanctioned Rs 1234.2 crore for construction of 26,690 AWC buildings during 2010-16, only 14,059 (53 pc) buildings were completed by June 2016 and 12,631 buildings were incomplete even after nearly one to five years of sanction, the report said.
The State Government could not avail Central assistance of Rs 93.76 crore due to non-submission of utilisation certificates for the funds sanctioned during 2013-14 for construction of anganwadi centres.
Stating that the department had not operationalised 1,281 anganwadi centres even after 18 months of sanction, the audit said infrastructure facilities at the anganwadis were not adequate even after four decades of implementation of the scheme.
The CAG report said, monitoring and supervision for implementation of the scheme was not adequate. The State-level monitoring and review committee, headed by Chief Secretary, had met thrice during 2011-16 against the stipulation of holding meeting at least once in every six months.
Noting that district and block-level monitoring committees have not been formed in many project areas, the report said visitors’ book, food stock register and cash book were not maintained in several AWCs. The premier audit agency of the Centre has advised the State to prepare an action plan for timely completion of all ongoing AWC buildings with required infrastructure.
Inadequate measures
State-level monitoring and review committee met only thrice during 2011-16 against the stipulation of holding a meeting at least once every six months
District and block-level monitoring committees not formed in many project areas
Visitors’ book, food stock register and cash book were not maintained in several AWCs