Over 530 Anganwadi centres still incomplete in Odisha; December deadline set

A total of 532 Anganwadi centres remain incomplete in Odisha, despite an earlier directive to complete 1,993 centres by 15th October. 

According to an official communication, construction work for 1,461 centres has been completed. Directions have been issued to complete the remaining 532 by December 10.

As per reports, Anganwadi centres for which funds were sanctioned and land was identified, but where construction work was not started, will be brought under a new scheme to ensure timely execution. The unit cost for constructing each Anganwadi centre was enhanced to Rs 15 lakh.

The progress was affected in several areas due to a lack of participation from bidders. In cases where tenders were initiated, the pending projects will be grouped and allocated to a single contractor on a district-wise basis to streamline the process, as per sources.

District-Level Monitoring Planned

For centres where suitable land was not identified, the Sub-Collectors were instructed to convene a monthly review meeting. These meetings will be held in the presence of the BDO, Tehsildar, DSWO and CDPO to ensure that land-related issues are resolved without further delay.

The government also clarified that the maintenance fund of Rs 3,000 per Anganwadi centre, already released for upkeep, may be utilised for minor repairs and for maintaining toilet and drinking water facilities.

These directives were issued to all District Collectors through a letter from the Special Project Director of the Panchayati Raj Department, emphasising the need for close monitoring and timely completion of the remaining infrastructure.