MNS:- In the afternoon session of the three day Bharat Nirman campaign held at the mini secretariat hall at Thoubal DC complex N. Satyavama DPO, ICDS cell spoke on integrated child development. She said ICDS was launched in 1974 by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as a part of 20 point economic programme. Initially 33 projects were launched under the ICDS. Now too many projects have been covered by the scheme.
In Thoubal District two projects have been opened one at Thoubal and another at Kakching. Under Thoubal scheme 765 anganwadi centres have been opened and 459 under Kakching scheme. The aim and object of the scheme are to take care of children below six years of age and pregnant women.
She said nutritious foods are provided to the children at the centre to enable them grow up properly with a view to ensure that they get education at the right time. Immunisation programme is also conducted by ICDS through the anganwadi centres. Pregnant women are also given proper education on child delivery. Anganwadi workers carry out the programmes envisaged under the scheme. Supplementary nutritious foods are distributed through the anganwandi workers. Anganwadi workers are also given training to give proper education to the children to enable them lead a normal life.
She said, if there is cooperation between the villagers and the implementing agencies all these programmes will be successful. No programme howsoever beautiful it may be will not be successful unless there is proper cooperation from the masses.
Replying to queries from the gathering she said, there are supervisors in the district who strictly supervise the functioning of the anganwadi centres in the district. She urged the villagers to write in detail what the centres are doing and they are not doing so that proper action can be taken against them, she added. We have pulled up some of the workers and questions had been put to them why they were not doing their duties properly. Milk and cooked foods are distributed to the centres, she added replying to another question put by a young boy.
Another boy wanted to know the criteria adopted in the selection of anganwadi workers. She informed that one must own land and be a 10 plus 2 passed candidate. But rules were flouted in the selection of anganwadi workers and even those, who did not own land were selected so when we asked them to construct a shed for the children we were ridiculed, she said and added that the Government do not earmark fund for construction of shed for the young children. Questions also were put at the end of the session by the expert speaker to the crowd and the winners were given prizes.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/thoubal-district-has-1224-anganwadi-centres/
