The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Gujarat government on Monday admitted a total of 398 Anganwadis across two districts of Mahisagar and Anand in dilapidated condition and are operational in either rented places or in other government premises. Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia said that even if there was a single Anganwadi functional in dilapidated condition then it is a shame.
Answering to a question by the Lunawada legislator Gulabsinh Chauhan as to how many Anganwadi were in dilapidated condition in Mahisagar and Anand, the women and child development minister Bhanuben Babaria informed that there were a total of 398 Anganwadis across Mahisagar and Anand districts in dilapidated condition, where 305 were in Mahisagar and 93 in Anand.
"Out of these 305 in Mahisagar, 106 were functional in rented spaces, while 199 were operational in either Panchayat offices or government schools. And out of 93 in Anand, 23 were functional in rented spaces, while 70 were operational in either Panchayat offices or government schools," informed Babaria.
Chauhan asked the minister, how many of the Anganwadi were still functional in dilapidated condition, to which the minister replied that she will provide the list where Anganwadi were functional in dilapidated condition. To which the speaker of state assembly Shankar Chaudhary said that, "There shouldn't be any Anganwadi functional if it is in a dilapidated condition and if it was so, the government should immediately provide an alternative."
But when the legislator from Porbandar Arjun Modhwadia while speaking on the subject started his speech, as if acting on the minister's behalf, the speaker said, "The minister has clearly replied in her written reply that there is not a single Anganwadi functional in a dilapidated condition."
"Even if there was a single Anganwadi functional in dilapidated condition then it was a shame for all of us. And what has the government planned so that none of the Anganwadi in the state remain in dilapidated condition," said Modhwadia.
"The government has provisioned to build 3,250 Anganwadi across the state in the current year, where 1,600 dilapidated buildings will be repaired while 1,650 new buildings will be made. We have provisioned ₹1800 for Anganwadi in three years, where ₹138 crores for the current year out of which ₹98.16 have been granted for the districts. We have provisioned ₹200 for the coming year" Babaria told the house.
