The Anganwadi centres that help in providing care to children under the age of six can use empty classrooms in the nearby Zilla Parishad Schools in Maharashtra, reported PTI. This step will be beneficial for thousands of Anganwadi Centres that are functioning by renting a space in the building. Anganwadi centres typically offer services like vaccines, health check-ups, care for pregnant women, and early learning for young children. If there is any irregularity in fund distribution, it would affect the services provided by the Anganwadi.
A Rural Development Department Officer stated, “The state is home to thousands of Anganwadis that run out of rented spaces. The management of rent, energy, water supply, and sanitation has become challenging due to irregular fund disbursement.”
In Maharashtra, all the Anganwadis are run by the Women and Child Development Department. This department carries out its functions under the central government’s Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS). As per the official records, there are 1,10,048 Anganwadi Centres in Maharashtra and out of these, 21,000 have rented a spot in various buildings, and 10,000 Anganwadis are being run from Community Halls or libraries.
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An official from the department stated that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 suggests that if the Anganwadis are linked with schools, it can improve early childhood education. Based on this suggestion, the state government requested the Zilla Parishad schools to let Anganwadis utilise the empty classrooms at the schools. The government also asked the schools to allow Anganwadi staff and children to use school facilities like the kitchen, washroom, playground, and water and sports items built inside the premises of the school.
If the school has more than one floor, then the Anganwadis should be given a room on the ground floor for safety purposes. If the provided rooms need any repair or paint, the Women and Child Development Department will provide necessary funds and set up the spaces in a way that is safe and best for Anganwadis’ use.