By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 22: Meghalaya’s efforts to strengthen early childhood care have been dubbed as insufficient by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which has underlined that the state still requires at least 1,000 additional anganwadi centres to reach children in its most remote and difficult-to-access villages.
In a recently released video, the ADB showcased the state’s flagship programme launched in 2023 with support from the Government of Japan, designed to address the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
Although nearly 6,000 Anganwadi centres are currently in operation, the state’s mountainous terrain continues to leave many communities outside the network of services, the SDB said.
The ongoing initiative seeks not only to bridge this gap but also to modernise existing centres with climate-resilient infrastructure, daycare facilities and nutrition gardens. Supplementary nutrition is to be extended to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children up to the age of six, alongside training for educators that prioritises gender equality and inclusion, it said.
Maternal mental health, often neglected in rural settings, is also a key focus of the programme. Through visits and counselling, the state hopes to tackle issues such as postpartum depression, while also building parenting groups that encourage play-based learning and stronger family bonds. Officials said the programme ultimately aims to double the number of children benefitting from these services, with particular emphasis on girls in underserved areas.
According to the ADB, the collaboration between Japan and Meghalaya represents a departure from fragmented welfare delivery and moves toward a holistic approach linking health, nutrition, education and mental well-being. By confronting challenges such as high maternal mortality, stunting and anaemia, the partnership aims to give every child in Meghalaya a healthier and fairer start in life, it stated.
