Monday, 23 October 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the construction of 3,940 Anganwadi buildings in the State which will cost Rs 472 crore. He stated this in an event on Sunday where he handed over the appointment letters for the supervisor posts to 167 Anganwadi workers and mini Anganwadi workers. He also inaugurated the online portals of Nanda Gaura Yojana and Mukhyamantri Mahalakshmi Kit Yojana on the occasion. Speaking at the event, he said that 3,940 Anganwadi buildings will be constructed in the State soon and each building will cost around Rs 12 lakh. These buildings will be built with the help of the Central government, State government and MNREGA with a budget of about Rs 472 crore. Dhami said that the construction of these buildings will alleviate the Anganwadi system in the State benefiting women and children.
Dhami said that Anganwadi workers play a very important role in society. Anganwadi centres play a crucial role in the upbringing and nurturing of small children. The government is fully committed to strengthening the status of Anganwadi centres and has taken various steps to empower Anganwadi workers. He said that the government has increased the honorarium of Anganwadi workers, mini Anganwadi workers and their assistants as per their demands and requirements. The CM informed that the honorarium of all Anganwadi workers is being paid online directly into their bank accounts from the department of Women Empowerment and Child Development (WECD). The department issues about Rs 24 crore per month as allowance to all Anganwadi workers. Besides this, the government has also released an amount of Rs 9.35 crore to 23,895 women in their bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Matra Vandana Yojana. He said that portals of Nanda Gaura Yojana (NGY) and Mukhyamantri Mahalakshmi Kit Yojana (MMKY) have been launched to monitor the working progress of both these schemes. He said that about 50,000 lactating women and newborn babies get benefits every year under MMKY. Under this scheme, the department gives kits to new mothers worth Rs 3,500 on the birth of the first two daughters. These kits include items like dry fruits, items of clothing, soaps and bed sheets, among other necessary items. The government is also considering providing all these benefits on the birth of the first son.
Besides this, CM said that under the Nanda Gaura Yojana, eligible parents receive Rs 11,000 at the time of birth of the girl child from the WECD department. Later, the girl child receives Rs 51,000 on clearing class XII. The portals launched to monitor the progress of both schemes will help to ensure that every eligible beneficiary is getting the benefits, said the CM. The WECD minister Rekha Arya who was also present on the occasion said that the government has introduced and implemented several policies in the State for the welfare of women and to make them self-reliant. The government is planning to introduce more plans for the development of women and children in the near future, she added.
