Recognising the need to provide a safe, clean and enabling environment for effective cognitive, emotional and social development of a child during the critical first five years of their life, the government now plans to construct 23,510 Anganwadi Centres besides upgrading 16,681 of the existing Anganwadi buildings under ‘Mana Anganwadi Nadu-Nedu’ programme over a period of three years.
“The new construction and upgrading works will be executed through the Anganwadi Development Committee (AWDC) consisting of an Anganwadi worker, Supervisor, Mahila Samrakshana Karyadarshi, Engineering Assistant (Convenor) and three mothers of children aged 2-4 years, who are enrolled in the Anganwadi Centre,” said Kritika Shukla, Director, Women Development and Child Welfare. The works will be executed through the community contracting method on the lines of Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu, she informed.
Areas of focus
The upgrading of the existing buildings will focus mainly on nine components at an estimated cost of ₹6.9 lakh. They are: toilets with running water, electrification with tubelights and fans, kitchen (shelves, sink, repairs and new constructions), drinking water with tap connection, painting (external and internal art painting), major and minor repairs including gravel filling and levelling of play area outside an Anganwadi Centre, green chalk board, furniture, play equipment and water filters and a refrigerator.
“Compound walls will be constructed through MNREGA funding in rural areas and State funding in urban areas,” she said.
Ms. Shukla said the total budget for the works for 40,191 Anganwadi buildings is estimated at ₹4,442.38 crore.
The Finance Department will release a revolving fund to the Andhra Pradesh State Housing Corporation Limited (APSHCL) and from there to the joint bank account of the Anganwadi Development Committee for the execution of works. “Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has experience in works module in MGNREGA and Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu may be engaged to develop an end-to-end transaction-based software for effective monitoring and transparency,” she said, adding that the District Collector, Joint Collectors, Project Directors of ITDAs, PDs of APSHCL and Women Development and Child Welfare Department will take full responsibility for the programme.
