{"id":72488,"date":"2020-12-12T19:00:10","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T13:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=72488"},"modified":"2021-01-09T13:02:55","modified_gmt":"2021-01-09T07:32:55","slug":"anganwadi-centres-are-in-urgent-need-of-an-overhaul-explain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/anganwadi-centres-are-in-urgent-need-of-an-overhaul-explain\/","title":{"rendered":"Anganwadi centres are in urgent need of an overhaul. Explain"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the Anganwadi Centre?<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Anganwadi centers (Hindi for courtyard shelter) were started by the Indian government in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services program (ICDS) to combat child hunger and malnutrition. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, it evolved to provide other basic services related to primary learning activities and health care such as contraceptive and counseling and supply, providing basic medicine, immunization, health check-up, referral services, nutrition, and health education, as well as non-formal pre-school education.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to government data, presently the country has 13.77 lakh operational Anganwadi centers (AWCs) in India with a strength of 12.8 lakh workers and 11.6 lakh helpers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During COVID Pandemic, Anganwadi workers assigned the responsibility of local-level surveillance in different parts of the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why an urgent need for an overhaul?\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Kasturirangan committee in its report pointed out that unless the imparting of education is methodically approached right from the toddler level it is near impossible to fix the curve of education as an individual advance in age. Anganwadi centers (AWCs) are the right place to do that but suffering from many issues requires urgent attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First<\/strong> is the issue faced by AWCs due to inadequate infrastructure. A fourth of the operational AWCs lack drinking water facilities and 36 per cent do not have toilets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Second<\/strong> is problems related to ICDS services that AWCs are providing. Only a limited number of AWCs have facilities like cr\u00e8che, and good quality recreational and learning facilities for pre-school education. ICDS beneficiaries do register for services but because the\u00a0Anganwadis\u00a0lack adequate facilities, they turn to paid options. Privately-run centers come at a price, hitting low-income families the harder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, the learning approach followed at Anganwadi centers is obsolete and not suitable to develop the skills required at present. The present research has shown the significance of the playing-based learning approach with effective supplementary nutrition in the cognitive development of children which is not followed appropriately at Anganwadi centers (AWCs).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Third<\/strong> is the issues related to the capacity building of the Anganwadi workers (AWWs), ASHAs, and ANMs. Frontline workers still are not provided with better training and incentives like better career prospects, service conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fourth<\/strong>, AWCs are also lacking in availability of general services such as good quality meals, contraceptives and medicines, and regular health-related counseling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fifth<\/strong>, Anganwadi Workers all over the country are being treated like unskilled workers. Their monthly payment, which is very little compared to the Minimum Wage criterion, is not enough to meet their home expenses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What needs to be done?<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The government has recently launched the Saksham Anganwadi Scheme which aims to upgrade 2.5 lakh such centers\u00a0across the country. But it is up to the states to make these initiatives successful. Following are the suggestions for making improvements to AWCs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First<\/b>, there is an urgent requirement for capacity building and infrastructure improvement of Anganwadi centers (AWCs). Following are suggestions for the same:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Capacity building\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n