Bhubaneswar, Mar 23 (IANS): With the improvement in the Covid-19 situation across Odisha, the state government has decided to reopen the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) from March 28 with strict adherence to Covid protocols.
The Department of Women & Child Development has written a letter to all collectors for this purpose on Wednesday.
The AWCs in the state remained closed since April 19, 2021 following outbreak of Covid-19. However, cooked foods, eggs and take home rations were given to the eligible beneficiaries during the said period.
"Taking the present situation into account, it has been decided to open all AWCs in the state with effect from March 28, 2022, except in those AWCs where district administration decides otherwise depending on the local situation," said Aravind Agrawal, director, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) & Social Welfare (SW) in his letter to the collectors.
The collectors have been asked to ensure cleanliness and proper disinfection & sanitisation of the Anganwadi premises prior to reopening.
The AWCs will be kept open from 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m., 25 days a month. Morning snacks and hot cooked meals will be served to the preschoolers (3-6 years) with proper social distancing.
However, ration in lieu of hot cooked meals and eggs will be given to the Anganwadi children at their doorsteps in case they are unable to attend AWC due to Covid or some other problem or on closure of the centres, Agrawal said.
If Covid cases are detected in future in any Gram Panchayat, district administration can close down all the AWCs of that Gram Panchayat forthwith, he said.
Preschool education will be resumed as per Nua Arunima curriculum at the AWCs and outdoor activities will be promoted. All other ICDS such as immunisation, health checkups, referrals and nutrition & health education (NHEd) will continue in the AWCs.
The government has restricted entry of outsiders into AWCs. All the Anganwadi staff should have been fully vaccinated before attending the AWCs. If anyone is not vaccinated, the collectors have been asked to take steps to vaccinate them immediately.