Bhadrak: The Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) has reportedly been a botch-up in this district for several factors, the major ones being the want of infrastructure and monitoring staff.
Though the programme plays a vital role in pre-schooling, supplementary nutritional feeding, immunisation and health check-up of children, apart from healthcare of pregnant and lactating women, the department has not given serious emphasis on its effective implementation.
There are 2,435 Anganwadi centres in the district but scores of them are existent only in pen and paper. The manner in which the programme is being executed is evident from the fact that only 892 Anganwadi centre have their own buildings, 420 centres run from school buildings and 290 centres are managed from either village community halls or community centres.
Worse, about 270 Anganwadi centres run from rented houses while 653 centres operate either from houses of Anganwadi workers or helpers, it was learnt.
Besides, many centres run from shanties and dilapidated buildings.
According to reports, construction of new Anganwadi buildings is going on, but many have remained incomplete even after several years. Some have remained half-made while others have been affected by land disputes or political tug of war.
Locals alleged officials of the women and child development department are not reviewing the progress of ICDS or monitoring the Anganwadis.
In many Anganwadi centres, exact strength of students is not properly checked while unscrupulous officials mismanage funds by inflating the students’ strength.
In central blocks, vacancies have been a major hurdle in the success of the programme. For over a year, the posts of child development programme officer are lying vacant in Basudevpur and Chandbali blocks. It is anybody’s guess how the programme will be managed in these blocks.
There are 352 Anganwadis in 32 panchayat under Basudevpur block, and 70 centres in 23 wards of the municipality area. The area is split into 18 sectors. At least 18 supervisors are required to look after running of the AWCs, but only nine supervisors are currently working.
In Chandbali-1, only five supervisors are managing supervision instead of required 10.
Other blocks also have shortage of supervisors. Nine supervisors manage AWCs in Bhadrak block instead of 14; five in Bhandaripokhari against eight; six in Bant; six in Dhamnagar; and nine in Tihidi. Sub-collector Narottam Behera said the administration will hold a meeting of the department officials shortly to discuss the problems hindering completion of AWC buildings.
“Many problems will be sorted out after completion of infrastructure work,” he added. PNN