From Our Spl Correspondent
New Delhi: Minister for Social Welfare, J A Lyngdoh on Friday maintained that welfare of women and children, particularly in case of malnutrition is a serious consern and should be addressed with utmost urgency both by the centre and the State Governments.
Participating in the three day Conference of State Ministers in-charge of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) here Lyngodh said that this can be possible with adequate budgetary support from the Union in nutrition of mother and child programmes which should also have universal converge. The meeting, which concluded on Friday, was called by the Centre to review the issues under ICDS and malnutrition.
The Minister for Women and Child Welfare Krishna Tirath said that the objective of this conference was to review the implementation status of the scheme in each State. The aim was also to take appropriate steps to universalize the scheme and bridge the gaps in the present system of delivery.
The State has 41 ICDS projects with 5113 Anganwadi centers but faces both manpower and fund crisis, Lyngdoh said. “The State has sent proposals for 80 more such centres and requested more staff and funds for the existing and new ones,” he said.
The Minister also advocated for relaxation of population norm for opening anganwadi cetnres. Since the minimSum population required for one Angaanwadi center is 150, as many as 911 villages in the hill state are left out of such benevolent schemes specially meant for poor and the needy, he said, Most of the ICDS offices are running in rented private building draining huge funds in the form of rent, Lyngdoh added. “At least during the 12th plan period the Centre should grant funds to the state to have its own ICDS buildings,” he said.