The Women and Child Development Ministry has announced that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme will play a significant role in constructing new anganwadis in India this year. The construction cost of each anganwadi center is ₹12 lakh, out of which ₹8 lakh will be provided under MGNREGA. As a result, almost three in four of the new anganwadi centers to be constructed this year will be built in convergence with the MGNREGA scheme.

 

Anganwadi centers are operated under the Integrated Child Development Services scheme, providing health, nutrition, and early learning services in the rural areas. This year, the government has received a demand for 27,000 anganwadi centers, out of which 20,000 will be constructed under MGNREGA. Moreover, the government has identified 40,000 anganwadi centers for upgradation in aspirational districts across the country.

 

The Centre has informed State governments that under the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 schemes, they can seek Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for the construction of anganwadis purely on a pro bono basis. States can also seek funding for specific aspects of anganwadi infrastructure, including toilets, rainwater harvesting systems, furniture, cooking utensils, kitchen infrastructure, and storage facilities.

 

The Ministry has requested all States to revisit the actual requirements of anganwadi centers based on the population of the area, the number of children attending, and the number of existing centers. The information provided by the States will help the Centre take a holistic view and initiate action to remove the mismatch between the demand and actual availability of the centers.

 

The Parliamentary panel has also pointed out the high vacancy positions in anganwadis at all levels and recommended that the Ministry should write to each State to fill up the vacancies at the earliest. With the help of the MGNREGA scheme, it is expected that the construction of new anganwadi centers will provide much-needed health, nutrition, and early learning services to rural children in India. Reference source: TH

 

UPSC Main Exam Question

 

Discuss the role of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the construction of new anganwadi centres in India this year. What are the initiatives taken by the Women and Child Development Ministry to improve the anganwadi infrastructure?

 

Answer: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is expected to play a vital role in constructing new anganwadi centres in India this year. According to the Women and Child Development Ministry, out of the demand for 27,000 anganwadi centres in the country, 20,000 will be constructed under the MGNREGA scheme. This means that almost 75% of the new anganwadi centres to be built this year will be in convergence with the MGNREGA scheme.

 

The anganwadi centres are the first village outpost for nutrition, health and early learning, and are operated under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme. In addition to the MGNREGA scheme, the Women and Child Development Ministry has identified 40,000 anganwadi centres for upgradation in aspirational districts across the country this year.

 

To improve the anganwadi infrastructure, the Centre has proposed the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 schemes, which allow states to seek CSR funds and donations from individuals, companies, business houses, and institutions of repute for the construction of anganwadis purely on a pro bono basis. The Ministry has also requested all States to revisit the actual requirements of anganwadi centres and furnish a detailed proposal to remove the mismatch between the demand and the actual position of these centres.

 

The Parliamentary panel has pointed out the vacancies at anganwadis at all levels and recommended that the ministry may write to each of the States where the vacancy positions are high for taking suitable measures to ensure that vacancies are filled up at the earliest.

 

In conclusion, the MGNREGA scheme has a significant role to play in constructing new anganwadi centres in India this year. The Women and Child Development Ministry's initiatives such as the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 schemes, the upgradation of 40,000 anganwadi centres, and the request to revisit the actual requirements of anganwadi centres will help improve the anganwadi infrastructure in the country.

 

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