Odisha's New Initiative to Empower Anganwadi Centres: What You Need to Know

Strengthening Child Development in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: On Wednesday, Odisha's Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida initiated a bi-weekly campaign aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of anganwadi centres throughout the state.

The campaign, titled ‘Aasa Jiba Anganwadi’, is set to take place from August 1 to August 15, coinciding with the launch of a state-level workshop focused on capacity building for Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs).

Parida encouraged community members to visit local anganwadi centres to evaluate their cleanliness, infrastructure, and overall operations, urging them to provide feedback for service enhancement.

This initiative is aligned with World Breastfeeding Week, which runs from August 1 to 7, and seeks to promote community involvement in early childhood development, according to officials.

Parida stated, “The effectiveness of our child development initiatives hinges on the skills of CDPOs at the grassroots level.”

She highlighted that Odisha's goal of achieving a malnutrition-free status by 2036 relies heavily on empowering local leaders, with CDPOs being pivotal in this change.

Additionally, the ‘Anganwadi Welfare and Service Oversight Monitoring Everywhere (AWESOME)’ app was introduced during the event, aimed at improving infrastructure oversight and service delivery at anganwadi centres.

Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, addressing attendees, urged CDPOs to implement community-focused strategies, emphasizing the importance of health, nutrition, and early childhood education within the ‘Vision Odisha 2036’ framework.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also established between the Women & Child Development Department and the National Institute of Public Cooperation & Child Development (NIPCCD) to facilitate ongoing training and capacity enhancement for Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) personnel in Odisha.