Sajid Raina
Srinagar, Apr 12: Jammu and Kashmir has missed out on getting new Anganwadi Centres under the Centre’s MGNREGA-linked scheme because the Union government has not received any proposal from the UT administration.
According to official documents, the central government had launched a plan to build 50,000 new AWCs across the country over five years—10,000 centres each year.
Each AWC under the plan is supposed to be funded through a mix of central and state schemes. The funding includes Rs 8 lakh from MGNREGA, Rs 2 lakh from the 15th Finance Commission or other local funds, and another Rs 2 lakh from the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The funds are shared between the Centre and respective states or UTs.
However, J&K has not received approval for any new centres because it did not send any proposal to the Centre, officials said. In contrast, several other states have already secured approvals.
Bihar has received clearance for 6,155 AWCs, Uttar Pradesh for 7,013, and Telangana for 2,279. Even smaller states like Mizoram and Meghalaya are on the list.
The central government has also advised all states and UTs to look for funds from multiple sources, including MP and MLA development funds, and contributions under Corporate Social Responsibility, to help with the construction of AWCs. (KNO)
