Bhubaneswar: The state govt on Saturday raised the annual clothing allowance for anganwadi workers and helpers from Rs 1,390 to Rs 1,500 and launched a digital system to directly manage and track electricity bills of anganwadi centres.Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida announced the measures while launching the three-day ‘Angan Ka Utsav’ campaign, aimed at strengthening community participation in nutrition, health awareness and early childhood development programmes.Under the revised clothing allowance, the Centre will contribute Rs 600 and the state Rs 900. The govt has made a budgetary provision of Rs 22.3 crore for the benefit of around 1.48 lakh anganwadi workers and helpers across the state.Parida also launched DIPTI (direct invoice payment & tracking interface), making the women and child development department the first department in the state to introduce a digital platform for managing electricity bills at anganwadi centres.Developed jointly by the WCD department and the discoms, DIPTI will facilitate digital verification, direct payment and tracking of electricity bills. The system is also aimed at relieving anganwadi workers of the responsibility of paying electricity bills, thereby reducing their administrative workload and helping ensure uninterrupted power supply at the centres.Deputy chief minister said reducing such administrative responsibilities would allow anganwadi workers to devote more time to nutrition, health and early childhood development services.The ‘Angan Ka Utsav’ campaign will be held from Sept 27 to 29 at all 74,224 anganwadi centres in the state. It is being organised as part of the ongoing Poshan Maah and Seva Sankalp Abhiyan.
