Gujarat assembly panel expresses concern over many anganwadis lacking basic facilities

Gandhinagar, Mar 21 (PTI) The Public Accounts Committee of the Gujarat assembly has expressed concern at 838 anganwadis in the state not having toilets and 59 such government-run kindergartens being without electricity connections.
In its report that was tabled in the assembly on Friday, the PAC under BJP MLA Jitendra Vaghani said no anganwadi centre should remain without basic facilities and there should be no delay in constructing new centres.
The report of the PAC for the state Women and Child Development Department was based on observations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the past.
Referring to the CAG report, the panel noted that anganwadi centres should be in proportion with the state population, adding Gujarat needed 75,480 of them as per the 2011 Census. However, the CAG had, in 2012, noted that only 50,225 centres were operational in Gujarat.
When the PAC sought an explanation from the department in October last year about this observation, officials had said a proposal was sent to the Centre to start new anganwadi centres as per the population.
Since there was a delay in sending that proposal, the PAC recommended that the department must send such proposals in time and also follow it up with the Centre regularly.
In March 2012, the CAG had noted that several anganwadis in the test-selected districts did not have basic facilities such as toilets and drinking water.
When PAC raised this issue before the department, the officials admitted that 838 anganwadis were still without toilets, 59 did not have power supply, and 76 centres were running without the facility of drinking water in Gujarat.
Officials had stated that "alternative arrangements" have been made for these anganwadis.
Expressing concern, the PAC had asked the department to ensure no anganwadi centre remains without basic facilities.
In its previous report, the CAG had noted that though the state government received a loan from NABARD to construct new anganwadi centres in 2009, construction for 641 centres did not start by 2012.
When the PAC sought an explanation, the officials stated that construction of these 641 centres were completed in subsequent years.
"The PAC took serious note of the fact that construction did not start in stipulated time. Thus, we recommend that construction starts in time after acquiring all the permissions and special care should be taken to avoid any delay," the panel noted.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)