Anganwadi Centres In Dhenkanal’s Kamakhyanagar Run Sans Power, Basic Amenities

Dhenkanal: In the absence of power supply and basic amenities around 247 Anganwadi centres of Kamakhyanagar Sub-Division in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, are drawing a blank with children’s future.

Children who used to attend various Centres under Kamakhyanagar area in the district, hardly one or two visit the centre as there is no electricity connection even after some pucca buildings were built for the purpose.

There are no electric connections yet to the centres which makes the children uneasy during peak summer. So parents are not allowing them to come to the centre. Despite of locals’ request to the government authorities to provide power supply no step has been taken yet.

The district administration is also negligent in paying attention to look into the plight of Anganwadi children, who suffer extreme heat without air and light due to no power supply in summer and leakage from the roof during rains.

As many as 2220 centres were being run in the district while 270 centres are located in Kamakhyanagar and all of them are facing the same problem. Some of the worst affected villages are–Kusumjodi, Saruali, Jiral.

Even more than 50 percent of the centres here do not have proper water supply, causing severe problems to children. Many are without latrines and bathrooms causing severe hardship to pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Meanwhile, when asked about these problems to the district authorities, they said that the financial powers are vested on BDOs of the respective blocks who have been asked to apply for power supply to their respective Anganwadi centres. The process is underway.