Shillong, Aug 25: The state government is not incurring any expense on improving Anganwadi centres, which are on rent or temporary building, and currently there are 666 such Anganwadi centres in the state, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said in the Assembly on Tuesday.
Of the 6,188 Anwanwadi centres, construction and renovation of 2,148 centres have been taken up in convergence with the Rural Development department and MGNREGS, with Rs 64 crore sanctioned under Externally Aided Projects (EAPs), he said.
“Out of 2,148 centres, 1,670 have been completed and the rest will be completed very shortly. We are not spending money on improving the infrastructure of temporary buildings,” the CM clarified while replying to TMC MLA Dr Mizanur Kazi’s query on the issue.
He said upgradation is being taken up under the Meghalaya Early Childhood Development Mission.
On nutrition, the CM said supplementary nutrition is provided for 25 days a month — hot cooked meals for children aged 3-6 years and weekly take-home ration for children 6 months to 3 years, pregnant, lactating mothers and adolescent girls.
The state will soon provide eggs twice a week as part of hot cooked meals.
Sangma said regular checks and social audits are done to monitor quality and timely distribution, and urged MLAs to flag gaps.
Citing NFHS data, he said stunting among children under 5 has dropped from 46% to 35% in three years, and the overall malnourished figure has come down to 36%, a decline higher than the national average.
“There is a positive response but we want to bring it to zero. We have launched the 1000-days programme covering a child from birth to two years,” he said, adding that all centres have cooking space even if separate kitchen rooms are not available.
