BHUBANESWAR: More than 70 percent of the 71,302 Anganwadi centres, which provide basic health care and supplementary nutrition to children and women in rural areas of the state, do not have toilets while only 586 of them have the power connection.
Of the total Anganwadi centres (AWCs), 32,993 centres have permanent buildings. However, about 4,800 of these centres are managing with makeshift kitchens.
The State Government had sanctioned funds for construction of 33,785 Anganwadi centres under different schemes in 2015-16 and 2016-17. While the current financial is coming to an end, the construction progress of the AWCs is not every encouraging.
A recent review by the department revealed that 16,651 Anganwadi buildings have been constructed while another 10,653 units are under different stages of construction.
While work has not started for 6,668 centres, the land has not been identified for 861 projects, sources in Women and Child Development department said.
Though department sanction has been given for construction of toilets for the 32,993 centres having own buildings and the projects sanctioned during in 2015-16 and 2016-17, only 20,934 AWCs have toilet
facility.
As many as 50,368 AWCs lack toilet facility despite the fact that funds are available under different schemes. Apart from state and central plan schemes, funds provided under MGNREGS and 13th Finance
Commission can be utilised for construction of toilets.
However, a majority of the toilets remained non-functional due to lack of water supply, the sources maintained.
The sources said that administrative approval has been accorded for construction of 14,569 AWCs under convergence programme of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS).
Construction of 2,500 buildings have been completed by end of December last year while 6,687 projects are under different stages of construction.
The progress report of the department said that works have not started for 5,429 centres while land has not been identified for 768 centres.
Under the centrally sponsored scheme, the government had sanctioned for construction of 5,556 AWCs out of which 3,035 have been completed and another 2026 buildings are under different stages of
construction. While work has not started on 487 projects, eight projects are stuck up due to land problem.
The primary focus of AWCs are on poor and malnourished groups. These centres provide supplementary nutrition to children below the age of 6 and nursing and pregnant women. Besides, pre-school
education to children in the age group of 3 to 5 years is provided at these centres.