COIMBATORE: A total of 634 out of 2,450 sanctioned positions (26%) are vacant in Anganwadi centres in Coimbatore. There are 1,640 Anganwadi centres in the district, and 1,396 worker positions and 1,054 helper positions have been sanctioned. Of this, 244 workers (who teach basic lessons to kids and monitor pregnant women) and 390 helpers (who cook food and take care of the kids) positions are vacant, the social welfare and women empowerment stated in its reply to a query filed by TNIE under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
P Saradha (name changed), an anganwadi worker in Negamam block, said helper positions are vacant in several centres in the block. “We double up as cooks instead of focusing on educational activities like storytelling, preparing assessment cards, and preschool education kits,” she said. Other work such as monitoring pregnant women, registering childbirth, and uploading students’ details in the app are affected, she added.
A worker in Annur said there are 101 centres in the block, in which 20 workers and 30 helper positions have been vacant for years. She said they have to manage two centres for two days once in a week on rotation basis and this increased their workload.
A member of Tamil Nadu Anganwadi Oozhiyar and Udhaviyalar Sangam who did not wish to be named said the government did not make any recruitment since 2018 and vacancies are increasing every year.
TNIE’s efforts to contact Geetha Jeevan, minister for social welfare and women Empowerment department and senior officers for comments went in vain.