Hyderabad: Telangana’s Women and Child Development Minister Seethakka has announced that anganwadi centres across the state will now be graded based on performance, with awards and recognition reserved for centres demonstrating high standards of service. The directive was issued during a review meeting with senior officials of the Women Development and Child Welfare Department held on Thursday.
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313 Non-Functional Centres to Be Relocated Based on Demand
Seethakka expressed concern over the non-functionality of 313 anganwadi centres, reportedly due to the absence of children. She stated that this was not a valid excuse and directed officials to relocate these centres to areas with higher demand.
“Every centre must function in its entirety. There is no justification for keeping centres closed when thousands of children still need care and support,” she said.
Minimum Enrollment Target: 20 Children per Centre
Highlighting the low attendance in many centres, Seethakka revealed alarming data:
- 30 centres have no children at all
- 198 centres have fewer than 5 children
- 586 centres have fewer than 10 children
To address this, she instructed field officers to identify and enroll children proactively, similar to the successful Padibata initiative, aiming for at least 20 children per centre.
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Strict Action Against Poor-Quality Supplies and Irregularities
The minister issued a stern warning regarding substandard supplies, such as poor-quality tur dal and eggs, being distributed at some centres. She pointed out that:
- Officials had ignored e-tender guidelines while selecting suppliers.
- Some districts gave contracts to old vendors without proper tenders.
- A contractor in Hyderabad was blacklisted for improper egg supply.
“Despite crores being spent on child welfare, officials are failing in their duty. Any mistake, no matter where it occurs, will not be ignored,” Seethakka asserted.
Regular Monitoring and Transparency Urged
Seethakka mandated that District Welfare Officers (DWOs) must visit at least three anganwadi centres each week to monitor ground-level functioning. She criticized the lack of transparency in procurement processes and emphasized the need for e-tendering and procurement through district committees, headed by respective collectors.
Senior Officials Present at the Meeting
The meeting was attended by:
- Anitha Ramachandran, Secretary, Women Development and Child Welfare Department
- Kanti Wesley, Director, Women and Child Development Department
- Other senior departmental officials
- Anganwadi grading to be linked to centre performance
- Centres with low or no child enrollment to be relocated
- Minimum of 20 children per centre target set
- Strong warning against supply-related irregularities
- Weekly inspections mandated for district officers