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Three centres found shut in Nandurbar during surprise visit: Biometric attendance plan for anganwadis

An anganwadi worker receives Rs 5,000 as monthly salary.

A surprise visit this week by the tribal project officer in Nandurbar found three anganwadis shut, prompting a showcause notice to anganwadi workers weeks after an NGO independently conducted checks and found five other anganwadis shut in the tribal district.

Deliberations are now on at the Integrated Child Development System (ICDS) to devise a means for regular attendance in rural and tribal areas where it is not possible to physically verify anganwadi workers and helpers’ daily attendance. The department is planning to install biometric system for attendance in each anganwadi across Maharashtra. “It is something in the planning stage. We are also probing two-three other options in areas where there is no electricity or internet facility,” said Vinita Singhal, secretary of Women and Child Development. According to her, local ICDS officer issued notice and suspend salaries of workers or helpers found absent from anganwadi centres.

Recently NGO Narmada Bachao Andolan had raised the issue at a Navsanjivani meeting in Nandurbar, held between government and social activists, over absence of anganwadi workers in centres. The NGO had found five anganwadi centres in Thuwani, Son and Survani shut. Following the complaint tribal project officer Nima Arora conducted a surprise visit in Dhadgaon area to find three anganwadis shut in Khardi and Bilgaon area.

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She has now issued showcause notice to three anganwadi workers. According to the notice, free meals provided under APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Aahar Yojana to lactating and pregnant women were compromised due to shut centres along with breakfast and lunch provided to children aged less than six years.

Each anganwadi on an average has 40 children and over 10 lactating and pregnant mothers registered for free meals under ICDS scheme in Nandurbar. The district has over 30,000 malnourished children according to latest ICDS data, which escalates to over 40,000 every monsoon. With anganwadis shut, malnourished children do not get free meals under Village Child Development Centre (VCDC) that mandates six meals per day.

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“Usually a supervisor heads around 30 anganwadis and submits report on attendance and performance. But we often find credible reports lacking in tribal and rural pockets,” an ICDS official from Nandurbar said.

Across Nandurbar, there are 2,364 anganwadis. Local officers claim there are high vacancies in posts of anganwadi workers and ICDS supervisors.

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In 2017-18, ICDS made budgetary cuts by 31 per cent from Rs 2,947 crore to Rs 2,033 crore. Amongst its plans to utilise tribal funds to open VCDC centres, the department is also going to start daily attendance and cut salaries of those found absent.

An anganwadi worker receives Rs 5,000 as monthly salary. “But even that is delayed for last three months. Workers do not get timely incentive to keep up the good work,” said Shubha Shamim, secretary at Anganwadi Karmchari Sangathana.

First uploaded on: 12-05-2017 at 04:44 IST
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