Rajahmundry: The state government has come up with a programme recently to give a facelift to Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) to make them child-friendly lear-ning corners and also to be clean and safe for children and women in AP.
The department of women development and child welfare is taking up execution of the progra-mme under the aegis of Andhra Pradesh Rural Inclusive Growth Proj-ect. Accordingly, to provide a learning environment for children, the AWCs will be equipped with learning materials like pencil boxes, jumbo wax crayons, sketch pen sets, workbooks, activity books, vinyl boards with English picture alphabe-ts and white boards. Play equipment like colour clay, abacus kits, water colours, ring stacks, animal face masks, puzzles, shape stack clock besides play mats, chappals, Sis-hu desks, storage units and water purifiers will be installed at the AWCs.
The department has procured the items at the state-level and will be supplying them to all the 3,493 AWCs located in all 13 districts in the state. As many as 109 child development project officers have been entrusted with the task of collecting the items from the suppliers and place them at their respective AWCs.
In addition to it, all the buildings accommodating AWCs will get a facelift with a fresh coat of paint and each AWC will get release of funds to the tune of `11,000 with `9,000 for whitewash and `2,000 for transportation of the material.
The AWCs will accommodate children aged fr-om zero to three years to provide immunisation while children from thr-ee to six years will get pre-school education and supplementary nutriti-on. Pregnant women and lactating mothers will also get supplementary nutrition under various schemes.
As the state government intends to enhance the ambience and provide more amenities at the AWCs, it is initiating a series of measures with the funds sanctioned under APRIGP. Nearly 30-40 per cent AWCs are still functioning from rented accommodation while the remaining have their own buildings that will be whitewashed and specified colours painted on interior walls.
Eluru region women de-velopment and child welfare regional joint director T.V. Srinivas said, “We are giving a complete facelift to the AWCs by giving a fresh coat of paint to the buildings and providing a series of am-enities like supply of pur-ified drinking water and others in addition to making them child friendly by providing learning and play items so that a good number of children up to six years will be attracted to them and this way they could get a nutritious diet and exposure to good learning and playing environment.”
