Lok Sabha Question No. 417 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-03
Subject: Monitoring of Anganwadi Centres
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Kanakmal Katara

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 417

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.02.2023

## MONITORING OF ANGANWADI CENTRES

## †417: SHRI KANAKMAL KATARA:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  modernize  the Anganwadi Centers;
- (b) the steps taken to monitor the facilities being provided to children for nutrition etc. in Anganwadi Centers and whether there is any Committee to verify that children are being given nutrition at the right time and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the  number  of  complaints  received  against  Anganwadi  workers/officers  in Banswara-Dungarpur of Rajasthan for negligence of work etc. alongwith the action taken thereon indicating the officials prosecuted therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a) The following steps have been taken by Government to modernize  Anganwadi Centres:
- i.  Under Saksham Anganwadi, across the country 2 lakh Anganwadi Centres   (AWCs)  (40,000  AWCs  per  year)  would  be  strengthened  and upgraded  for  improved  nutrition  and  early  childhood  care  and  education services delivery for development of children under 6 years of age. In FY 202223, 40,000 AWCs have been identified in aspirational districts for upgradation with  internet/wifi  connectivity,  LED  screens,  water  purifier/installation  of  RO machine and smart learning and audio-visual aids and child-friendly learning equipment.
- ii.  Under Swacchta Action Plan (SAP), funds have been released to States/UTs for construction of toilets and providing drinking water facilities.
- iii.  States/UTs have been advised to take up the matter of installation of rainwater harvesting in Government owned Anganwadi buildings.
- iv.  Further,  in  convergence  with  Department  of  Drinking  Water  and  Sanitation, efforts are being undertaken to ensure that clean drinking water is provided to Anganwadi Centres through pipelines.
- v.  Also, a total of 50,000 AWCs (@10,000 AWCs per year) would be constructed under convergence with MGNREGS for a five year period ending FY 2025-26.
- vi.  Grants are sanctioned for purchase of furniture, equipment, etc.
- vii.  Anganwadi  Workers  (AWWs)  have  been  provided  with  Smart  Phones for efficient service delivery.

(b) In order to make the programme more effective and to ensure that all benefits including supplementary nutrition reach the intended beneficiaries, Government has taken steps to strengthen nutritional content, delivery and outcomes with focus on developing  practices  that  nurture  health,  wellness  and  immunity  to  disease  and malnutrition. Steps have also been taken to improve nutritional quality and leverage technology to improve governance. States/ UTs have been advised to ensure that the quality of supplementary nutrition conforms to prescribed standards laid down under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and regulations made thereunder. A programme to  support  development  of  Poshan  Vatikas  at  Anganwadi  Centres  to  meet  dietary diversity gap and leverage traditional knowledge and AYUSH practices has also been taken up.

In this direction, Streamlined guidelines were issued on 13.01.2021, covering several aspects such as quality assurance, roles and responsibilities of duty holders, procedure for procurement, integrating AYUSH concepts and data management and monitoring through 'Poshan Tracker' for transparency, efficiency and accountability in delivery of Supplementary Nutrition.

Under these guidelines, the District Magistrate (DM) has been designated as the Nodal Point in the district for monitoring nutritional status and quality standards. The  DM  shall  chair,  supervise  and  monitor  the  activities  of  the  District  Nutrition Committee. Nutrition Experts suggested in District Committee have to be mandatorily certified  nutrition  experts.  The  Child  Development  Project  Officer  (CDPO)  who  is responsible for administration and implementation of nutrition and ICDS projects, shall, under the supervision of the DM/Collector:

(i) undertake overall administration and coordination of the nutrition project and ensure smooth and effective delivery of all intended services in the project jurisdiction;

(ii) conduct periodic monitoring including surprise spot-checks, draw samples for quality testing of supplementary nutrition (Take-Home Ration (not raw ration)  and Hot Cooked Meal) provided, ensure adequate measures for food safety and hygiene are followed throughout the supply chain, assess the quality of pre-school delivery etc., to ensure quality and undertake necessary course correction.

Further,  a  robust  ICT  enabled  platform  named  Poshan  tracker has  been designed to capture real-time data on implementation and monitoring of Anganwadi Services across the country. The Poshan Tracker management application tracks the activities at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC), service deliveries of Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and aids in complete beneficiary management.

(c) Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and the  administration,  management  &  monitoring  regarding  implementation  of  the Scheme  is  being  done  by  the  concerned  State  Government/UT  Administration. Complaints, if received, with respect to irregularities/ corruption in implementation of the Scheme are taken up with concerned States/ UTs for appropriate action. Reports on complaints which are serious in nature are sought from State Governments/ UT Administrations. Action for any misconduct or involvement of any employee in any corrupt practice is taken by the respective State Governments/ UT Administrations as per their service rules.

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