BHUBANESWAR: After a gap of around one year, anganwadi centres were reopened for children below six years of age across Odisha from Monday. As per the guidelines of the Women and Child Development department, the centres were reopened for two hours from 7.30 am to 9.30 am.
Children were seen to be enthusiastic to attend classes in offline mode on the first day. They were greeted in the traditional way with tilak and flowers in some of the centres in the State Capital and other districts.
The centres had opened for a brief period last year and remained closed since April 2021 with the second wave of the pandemic.
The centres will function from 7.30 am to 9.30 am for 25 days a month. Snacks and hot-cooked meals will be served to the preschoolers in 3 to 6 years age group with a social distance of 6 ft. For students who are unable to attend the centres, provision of rations including hot-cooked meals and eggs have also been made at their doorsteps, officials said.
Meanwhile, Odisha reported 43 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. Khurda reported the highest number of 10 cases. The State had reported 48 cases on Sunday. The State now has 419 active cases, which includes over 170 in Bhubaneswar.