Mysuru: Nearly 30% of anganwadi centres in Mysuru district are functioning without their own buildings. These centres play a crucial role in early childhood education for children below six years, besides providing nutrition, supporting immunisation and monitoring health.The district has 2,905 anganwadi centres, of which only 2,224 have permanent structures.Around 1.3 lakh children below six years are enrolled in these centres. Anganwadis also provide nutritional support to pregnant women, contributing to efforts to prevent infant and maternal mortality. The shortage of permanent buildings remains a concern for the delivery of these essential services for people.Out of 2,905 anganwadi centres, only 2,224 have permanent structures; the remaining centres are running in rented buildings, gram panchayat buildings, community halls and some open spaces in villages.As there is a lack of toilets, proper playgrounds and kitchens in rented anganwadi centres, children enrolled here are learning in congested places.As there are no permanent centres, the state govt rented the anganwadi centres at a monthly rent of Rs 5,000 for each centre in urban areas and Rs 1,000 in rural areas.Even though there is no dearth of funds or provisions for the construction of anganwadi centres under VB-GRAM-G and other govt schemes, lack of land is the main setback for begin their construction. Despite the district administration, zilla panchayat and other urban local bodies making all efforts, identification of land has become the biggest challenge for authorities for construction of the centres. The increase in land prices and site prices is worrying govt authorities regarding construction of permanent centres.Among the over 1.3 lakh children dependent upon anganwadi centres, 10,734 are newborns from 0 to 6 months, 75,536 are children below 3 years old and 47,796 are children between 3 and 6 years.Deputy director of women and children welfare Nagaraju said the district administration has been making all its efforts to identify land for construction of permanent structures for anganwadi centres that lack their own buildings. It has also directed all taluk administrations and local authorities to identify the land and hand it over to the department of women and children welfare for construction the centres. “Once the land is sanctioned, the department will initiate measures for construction,” he said.The officer said that the department has also initiated measures to fill the 25 pending anganwadi activist and 225 anganwadi assistant posts in the district.“As anganwadi centres play a crucial role in early childhood education and even help in children’s nutritional care, govt must initiate all measures to strengthen these centres besides increasing enrolment with the introduction of an LKG-and-UKG-like pre-education system in such centres,” said Alagaudu Shivakumar, social activist.
