Major Decisions Taken for Anganwadi Workers; 54,000 Children Freed from Malnutrition in Haryana
Chandigarh, January 16: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday announced that 50 percent of Anganwadi workers in the state will be promoted to the post of Supervisor, marking a significant decision for the welfare of Anganwadi staff. He said that during the previous budget, 66 announcements related to Women and Child Development were made, out of which 59 have already been implemented, while work on three announcements is currently in progress.
The Chief Minister was chairing a review meeting regarding the announcements of the Women and Child Development Department. Women and Child Development Minister Shruti Choudhry was also present during the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said that an important decision has been taken for Anganwadi workers. Under this decision, Anganwadi workers who have completed 10 years of service and fulfill the eligibility criteria for the post of Supervisor will be promoted. He clarified that 50 percent of Supervisor posts will now be filled through promotion from among Anganwadi workers, while the remaining 50 percent will be filled through direct recruitment.
Highlighting the state government’s efforts to combat malnutrition, Nayab Singh Saini said that additional financial support has been announced to free malnourished children from malnutrition, and work in this direction is progressing rapidly. Under this initiative, provisions are being made to provide boiled black chickpeas, churma, and kinnow to affected children. He informed that out of 80,000 malnourished children identified last year, 54,000 children have already been freed from malnutrition due to the government’s sustained efforts. Only 26,000 children remain, and efforts are underway to ensure they too are freed from malnutrition soon.
The Chief Minister further stated that the recipe model being implemented in aspirational district Nuh is being replicated across Anganwadi centers in the entire state, with the objective of making Haryana free from child malnutrition.
He also said that against the announcement to convert 2,000 Anganwadi centers into ‘Saksham Anganwadi Kendras,’ work is progressing rapidly to upgrade 2,807 Anganwadi centers. Procurement of necessary items under the Saksham Anganwadi scheme is currently underway, with an expenditure of approximately ₹20 crore. Additionally, 2,000 Anganwadi centers are being upgraded into play-way schools at a cost of around ₹81 crore to provide better facilities for children.
The Chief Minister said that as per the government’s plan, working women hostels will be constructed in every district to provide safe accommodation for working women. Six working women hostels are being built in Sonipat, Rewari, Faridabad, Gurugram, and Charkhi Dadri at a cost of about ₹43 crore. He also directed officials to expedite the construction of a working women hostel in Panipat. Moreover, a Bal Bhawan, day-care center, and open shelter home are being established in Charkhi Dadri at a cost of ₹12.53 crore, of which nearly 80 percent of the work has been completed.
Nayab Singh Saini added that One Stop Centres (Sakhi Centres) are operational in every district to provide shelter, legal aid, medical assistance, counseling, and police support to affected women. These centres provide shelter for up to 20 days, and so far, assistance has been extended to more than 57,615 women across the state.
The meeting was attended by Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar, Additional Principal Secretary Dr. Saket Kumar, Commissioner and Secretary Finance Department Mohammad Shayin, Commissioner and Secretary Women and Child Development Shekhar Vidyarthi, OSD Raj Nehru, and other senior officials.
