Hazaribagh: Self-Sustaining Anganwadis

Hazaribagh’s cold climate and peaceful atmosphere has attracted intellectuals to establish academic institutions, rendering the district the title of "Education hub of Jharkhand." However, the high dropout rates of children from Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) due to reasons such as inaccessible routes, unwholesome meals, poor infrastructure etc. has become a major concern. Therefore, the ADFs, Dr. Pretty Priyadarshini and Ms. Charu Madan, and the district administration, under the leadership of the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Shri Ravi Shankar Shukhla (IAS), have devised self-sustaining AWCs that aim to provide quality education and healthcare facilities.

The pilot phase was conducted in the Kanchanpur Panchayat, utilising the funds of 14th Finance Commission with the help of Mukhiya, Lady Supervisor (LS), Smt. Lilian Raven, and the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) cum BDO, Shri Akhilesh Kumar. The LS and the CDPO identified the list of AWCs that required renovation based on their condition and needs. Preference was given to those centres which were accessible by villagers such that a large number of students could avail the improved facilities. Vijay Arts, a local company, was appointed to paint the buildings based on the BaLA guidelines. The fellows role was crucial in bridging the existing gaps for the provision of infrastructure such as uniforms, tables, chairs, toys, etc.. Further, they ideated the design of smart AWCs by arranging ICT equipments such as television, speakers, and battery for electricity backup. The content streamed in the television involved stories, poems, lessons on alphabets, numbers etc. In the growing digital world, these equipments became a useful teaching tool for the Anganwadi Workers (AWWs).

These initiatives yielded an approximately 40-50% increase in attendance rates of students. The increase was driven by the large-scale community participation. The children were willing to learn in a colorful surroundings with their peers; the AWWs were dedicated to deliver quality services because of the assistance provided by the district administration; and parents were driven to send their offspring as they believe that the transformation promises a better future.

The success of the transformation increased with the addition of facilities such as nutri-gardens and installation of biogas units. The ADFs with the help of the village community implemented this step to make the AWCs self- sustainable. The villagers in Kanchanpur Panchayat provided free of cost manure to the AWC Atiya 2 for the production of biogas. Geeta Devi, Anganwadi Sevika, and Radha Devi, Anganwadi Sahayika, are proud that their centre has sufficient availability of gas to cook wholesome meals for their students. On the other hand, the Sahiyas and Sevikas of the AWC Atiya 4 grow iron and vitamin rich fruits and vegetables such as spinach and drumstick in their ‘nutri garden’ to nourish their students. In this manner, the model AWCs of the Hazaribagh district have fairly tackled the problem of lacking infrastructure, education and healthcare facilities.

However, some facilities are yet to be implemented. The ADFs have done thorough research to formulate the curriculum to be followed in the AWCs. This was done to polish the learning content, and formulate a uniform learning material across AWCs in Hazaribagh. The research was based on conversations with the staff of urban pre-schools, along with inputs from AWW, LS, and CDPOs. 

As on 2019, 39 AWCs of the 1770 AWCs have been refurbished with the help of DMFT and 14th Finance Funds. The district administration incurred an average refurbishment expenditure of 2.5-2.75 lakhs. Now, the initial aim is to cover the blocks under the jurisdiction of the DMF. Then the focus will be shifted to blocks under the purview of SCA and 14th Finance Commission and attain saturation.

Source : Public System Strengthing in Aspirational Districts