Anganwadi meet held

Imphal, Jan 12 : STATE SOCIAL Welfare Minister, N Loken today said, 70% of the anganwadi centres were not functioning properly.

He was speaking at the state level convention on ICDS in Manipur organized by the Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union, Manipur at GM Hall.

The inauguration function of the convention which the minister Loken graced as chief guest was presided by MLA O Joy in which MLA T Mangibabu, former chairperson of the Imphal Municipal Council, A Jibanlata, PO and protection officer, domestic violence, M Ranjana attended as guest of honour.

General secretary of the All India Anganwadi Workers' Federation, Bijayalaxmi also attended the convention as special invitee of the function. Delivering his speech as chief guest, minister, N Loken admitted that the demands put forward by the anganwadi workers and helpers are reasonable but 70% of the centres are not properly function.

Children are seems to be collecting only at the time of the receiving the kits and other material supply to the centres.

He also says, as the ICDS is a central sponsored scheme, state could not do nothing on its own.

A total of 9000 anganwadi centres are there in the state but not sparing by the duality culture, two associations of the workers and helpers come up and instead of taking interest in how to nourish the children as a part of the objective of the ICDS, they are thinking about the honourariums, he adds.

He also criticized the workers for going to court in the appointment of supervisors of the ICDS which 25% is reserved for them at the time of appointment resulting to the delay of the appointment process.

The only looser by this situation is to the society, he observes.

O Joy MLA who presided the function talks on the role of the anganwadi workers and helpers in bringing up the children like a mother recalling the saying of Napoleon "The hand that rock the cradle rule the world".

He also says that workers and helpers should be imparted well training on nourishing the children so as to get the objective of the Central sponsored scheme.

Despite being a good scheme, if implementing agencies and concerns do not convert it into work properly, the objective could not be achieved, he adds.