Bhubaneswar, Nov 29: Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Saturday informed the Odisha Legislative Assembly that the state is stepping up efforts to ensure all Anganwadi centres have dedicated infrastructure.

Current Status

Odisha has a total of 74,224 Anganwadi centres, of which 54,074 centres operate from their own buildings. However, 20,150 centres still lack permanent structures. Construction work is currently underway for 7,389 centres, while 10,416 mini Anganwadi centres have already been converted into main centres.

Temporary Arrangements

In the absence of dedicated facilities, many centres are functioning from alternative spaces. According to Parida, 4,574 centres are operating from school premises, 10,469 from community centres, and 3,890 from rented houses. The government has assured that all centres will eventually have their own buildings.

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Saksham Anganwadi Initiative

Highlighting the state’s infrastructure push, Parida said that under the Saksham Anganwadi programme, construction costs have increased from ₹7 lakh earlier to ₹15 lakh per unit. Where land is unavailable, plots will be purchased through the Panchayati Raj department. The Women and Child Development Department is funding the construction independently.

Budgetary Support

The Deputy CM further stated that 12,144 centres have already been upgraded to Saksham Anganwadi centres, including 5,056 in FY 2024-25. In the current supplementary budget, provision has been made for 10,900 new constructions, underscoring the government’s commitment to strengthening grassroots childcare and nutrition services across the state.