Mangaluru: As many as 405 of Dakshina Kannada’s 2,131 anganwadi centres are yet to get water purifiers, even as the department of women and child development has submitted a proposal to extend the facility to more centres under the Union govt’s Saksham Anganwadi scheme.At present, 1,726 centres have water purifiers, of which 1,384 are covered under Saksham Anganwadi. Some centres received purifiers through corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.Women and child development deputy director MS Sridhara Vasu said anganwadi centres functioning from their own buildings among those yet to be covered would be selected under the scheme this year. A proposal has already been submitted to install water purifiers at these centres.The department is also awaiting the inclusion of the remaining Anganwadi centres under the Saksham Anganwadi scheme. It expects the scheme to be extended to these centres so they can get facilities such as LED screens, smart learning aids, clean drinking water through reverse osmosis (RO) purifiers and child-friendly wall art.“All anganwadi centres in the district currently have water supply connections,” Vasu said.Of the district’s 2,131 anganwadi centres, 1,938 function from independent buildings. The remaining 193 operate from community halls, schools, rented premises and panchayat buildings.Construction is under way for 23 new anganwadi buildings, while sites have been allotted for six more, officials said.The issue of purifier coverage and maintenance also came up at a recent Karnataka Development Programme meeting. MLC Dhananjay Sarji drew the attention of health minister UT Khader to the need to install water purifiers in all anganwadi centres and ensure their periodic maintenance. Sarji also expressed concern over the poor maintenance of water purifiers at several centres.Khader directed officials to take steps to equip all anganwadi centres with water purifiers. He also suggested that officials approach public- and private-sector companies for CSR funding for the initiative.Anganwadi services, formerly known as the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), were launched in 1975. The programme has since been revised and brought under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan scheme.
