State to equip over 81K Anganwadi centres with LPG connections: Min

Kolkata: The Bengal government is all set to equip all the 81,321 Anganwadi centres in the state with LPG connections at an approximate cost of Rs 286 crore in a significant stride towards improvement in the infrastructure of these centres, state Women and Child Development and Social Welfare minister Shashi Panja said on Tuesday. In the initial phase, the state is bearing a cost of around Rs 37 crore.

Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, Panja said that her department is in the process of setting up LPG connections in all the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) across the state in phases. All the 81,321 AWCs will get LPG connections. Incidentally, a 55-year-old woman teacher at a AWC in South Dinajpur’s Balurghat died after she caught fire at the centre. The minister also pointed out that financial assistance cover would also be given to the deceased. The state Women & Child Development and Social Welfare department is transitioning to LPG as cooking fuel in all the AWCs. Presently, earthen chullahs or stoves are used for cooking in various AWCs. The department has already started relocating the AWCs that are in rented buildings or in unstable community buildings to government school premises. With the health of the School Education department, a database has been created on schools with a separate room available.

Under the Anganwadi Services scheme during the financial year 2023-24, about 69.11 lakh children below 6 years of age and 12.29 lakh pregnant and lactating mothers received supplementary nutrition in the form of hot cooked meals for 26 days each month regularly. The scheme has improved nutrition status of children. Meanwhile, Krishna Sil (55), a teacher died in South Dinajpur after she caught fire at an AWC on Monday. The incident happened at Durgapur area under Balurghat. It was learnt that she caught fire when she was cooking food for the students at the centre.