Pre-school education hit
BARIPADA: Inadequate number of anganwadi centres has hit pre-school education in Mayurbhanj district. Sectors like education, health, communication and industry infrastructure have always been neglected in Mayurbhanj, one of the largest tribal-dominated districts of the State. The district’s backwardness is also attributed to lack of leadership and inadequate spending of MPLAD and MLALAD funds for welfare projects. Most anganwadi centres in the district do not have their own buildings forcing children to study in private, rented and community buildings.
Anganwadi centres were started in 1975 by the Central Government as part of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme to combat hunger and malnutrition among children. Basic healthcare activities that are provided at the centres include contraceptive counselling and supply, nutrition education and supplementation, as well as pre-school activities.
Sandeep Kumar Chand, a social activist, said anganwadi centres play a vital role in a child’s learning process and the Government must pay attention to provide buildings and infrastructure for the same.
In Mayurbhanj district, at least 3,449 angawadi centres have been functioning in their own buildings while 545 are located at rented houses, 421 in community centres, 221 in school buildings and 244 in other places.
District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) Kusuma Mala Mishra said at least 4,880 anganwadi centres are functioning in 26 blocks of the district. Other than Jamda and Tirang, there is an acute shortage of anganwadi centres in other blocks, she said and added that in 2017-18, at least 35 anganwadi centres were built in rural areas whereas this year only four such facilities have been constructed with financial assistance from MGNREGS in the district. The DSWO said the higher authorities have been informed about the scenario.