NEW DELHI: The centre plans to set up 17,000 creches in Anganwadi centres, with a special focus on catering for women from the unorganised sector.
The Anganwadi-cum creches will help give care to children in the age group of six months to six years, the Women and Child Development ministry officials said on Thursday.
The establishment of the creches in anganwadis was also proposed in the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) but it did not take off.
Now, it has again been announced under the anganwadi services scheme that 17,000 anganwadi-cum creches would be established.
According to Indevar Pandey, Secretary at the Women and Child Development ministry, about 5,500 of them have already been approved by states and UTs
Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has also sought cooperation from the states and UTs in the matter.
Speaking at the national programme on anganwadi-cum creches, Irani requested states to identify foundationally where construction work is going on and also where more women are working in the unorganised sector so that they can be connected with the scheme.
She also said that it can be an opportunity for women who operate self-help groups to run such creches.
Arti Ahuja, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, said the women's workforce participation has increased to 37 per cent in 2022 and it might have risen to 40 per cent this year.
"There is a rising trajectory of more women coming to the workforce and this is the time to empower them and this step has been taken in that direction," she said.
According to officials, a total of 25 children would be given admission in each creche and these creches would be established in child-friendly areas that are near the workplace of the women so they have easy access to them.