SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has identified 1,044 additional Anganwadi Centres as required in uncovered and underserved areas across the Union Territory, even as it said the Government of India is currently not granting fresh approvals for opening new centres.
The figures were disclosed by the Social Welfare Department in a written reply to an Un-Starred Question by MLA Gulam Ahmad Mir regarding Anganwadi Centre coverage in J&K, particularly in remote, difficult and underserved habitations.
According to the department’s assessment, 640 rural, 289 tribal, 78 hilly and 37 urban areas have been identified as requiring additional Anganwadi Centres.
Rajouri accounts for the highest requirement with 603 centres, followed by Ramban with 86, Baramulla with 88, Anantnag with 79, Pulwama with 58 and Shopian with 52. Kupwara has been assessed to require 45 additional centres, while Bandipora requires 19.
The assessment also identified 7 additional centres in Srinagar, 2 each in Budgam, Ganderbal and Kishtwar, and one in Poonch. No additional requirement was reported for Doda, Jammu, Kathua, Kulgam, Reasi, Samba or Udhampur.
The department said field-level surveys were being conducted to identify eligible habitations, particularly in remote and underserved areas, in accordance with the norms prescribed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
However, it said the Government of India was not presently according any fresh approval for opening new Anganwadi Centres. Once additional centres are sanctioned, J&K will submit proposals for the identified eligible areas in accordance with the prescribed procedure.
J&K currently has 28,426 sanctioned Anganwadi Centres, of which 28,199 are shown as functional in the department’s district-wise data.
Baramulla has the highest number of sanctioned centres at 2,425, followed by Jammu with 2,674, Anantnag with 2,227, Kupwara with 2,320 and Budgam with 1,686. The department’s data shows 2,407 centres functioning in Baramulla, 2,643 in Jammu, 2,210 in Anantnag, 2,320 in Kupwara and 1,678 in Budgam.
The government said establishment of Anganwadi Centres is governed by population-based norms. The prescribed population norm is 400–500 for rural and urban areas and 300–800 for tribal and hilly areas.
In Dooru constituency, the government said 272 Anganwadi Centres are presently functional, with 7,840 children registered on the Poshan Tracker. The department said beneficiary data covering children aged 0–6 years, pregnant women, lactating mothers and other eligible beneficiaries is maintained through departmental records and the Poshan Tracker Portal.
The government also said it was strengthening coordination between Anganwadi Centres and the School Education Department to improve pre-school education and facilitate children’s transition to primary schooling.
Under the convergence mechanism, Anganwadi Centres are being co-located with neighbourhood schools wherever feasible, while a School Mentorship Programme has been introduced under which nearby schools provide mentorship and academic support to Anganwadi Centres.
The department further said APAR IDs and Vidya Arambh Certificates had been adopted to strengthen school readiness, while mapping of Anganwadi Centres with neighbourhood schools had been completed.
