ANANTAPUR: Power supply to many Anganwadi centres in Anantapur district has been disconnected due to Rs 1.61 crore electricity dues which were not paid in last 2 years.Pregnant women and infant children in the erstwhile united Anantapur district are facing a plethora of issues at the Anganwadi centres due to the disconnection of power supply. As a result, the provision of nutritional food and primary health services to newborns and mothers took a beating at the Anganwadi centres as darkness engulfed these centres in the district.
It is learnt that the State Government owes Rs 1.61 crore in electricity dues in the last two years in the Anganwadi centres running at the government owned buildings to which the government is responsible for paying the power bills.
It is alleged that the CDPOs (Child Development Project Officer) and Caretakers were citing a lack of budget allocations that have turned a blind eye by leaving the regular functioning of Anganwadi centres in an uncertain situation.
It is further alleged that the Anganwadi workers at these centres have been neglecting the implementation of the mid-day meals menu as per the government guidelines. Some claims that few Anganwadi centres have been distributing just milk and eggs to the beneficiaries.
According to the official records, the erstwhile Anantapur district has 5,126 Anganwadi centres under 17 ICDS projects. Among them 2,302 centres comes under Anantapur while 2,824 centres are in Sri Satya Sai districts. Of which 1,153 and 1,321 centres were runs at the government buildings in the Anantapur and Sri Satya Sai districts respectively.
The government has to pay the Rs 71 lakh and Rs 90 lakh electricity bills to these 2,474 centres in the twin districts.Subsequently, the current bills of Anganwadi centres runs at rented complexes and were taken care by their respective workers. Of the 44 Anganwadi centres at Rapthadu Mandal, the power supply to 35 centres was disconnected as dues ranging up to Rs 3 lakh were pending to be paid. Similarly, the power supply to 39 Anganwadi centres out of 56 centres is disconnected at Guntakal Mandal.
Project Director (ICDS) Anantapur BN Sridevi said that the budgetary allocations pertaining to electricity bills have to come from the government and a report has been submitted to the State government. She further claimed that there is no such issue of power supply disconnecting to an Anganwadi centre that has come to the department’s notice.