Bhubaneswar, 26 September (H.S.): Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Saturday virtually launched the ‘Angan Ka Utsav’ campaign aimed at strengthening nutrition, health awareness and early childhood development services for children, women and adolescent girls across the state.

The campaign was inaugurated from the Conference Hall of the Department of Women and Child Development. On the occasion, Parida announced an increase in the clothing allowance for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers from ₹1,390 to ₹1,500. Under the revised provision, the Government of India will contribute ₹600, while the Odisha Government will provide ₹900. With a total budgetary provision of ₹22.30 crore, around 1.48 lakh Anganwadi Workers and Helpers across the state will benefit.

The Deputy Chief Minister also launched DIPTI (Direct Invoice Payment & Tracking Interface), making the Women and Child Development Department the first department in Odisha to introduce such a digital system for electricity bill management at Anganwadi Centres.

Developed jointly by the Department of Women and Child Development and DISCOMs, the platform will facilitate digital and direct verification, payment and tracking of electricity bills. The initiative is expected to reduce the financial and administrative burden on Anganwadi Workers and help ensure uninterrupted power supply at Anganwadi Centres.

Speaking on the occasion, Parida said the initiative would reduce the administrative workload of Anganwadi Workers and save their valuable time, enabling them to focus more effectively on providing nutrition, health and early childhood development services to children and mothers.

The ‘Angan Ka Utsav’ campaign will be observed across all Anganwadi Centres in Odisha from September 27 to 29 as part of the ongoing Poshan Maah, being observed from September 9 to October 8, and Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, being conducted from September 17 to October 17.

The three-day campaign will cover all 74,224 Anganwadi Centres across the state. Around 37,11,200 beneficiaries and Anganwadi Management Committee members, along with 13,03,415 children in the 3–6 years age group, are expected to participate.

The first day, September 27, will focus on nutrition and food competitions. ‘Poshan Pitha’ prepared by family members will be showcased, while cooking competitions for fathers using locally available food ingredients will also be organised.

On September 28, the second day will feature child-centric recreational activities, games and storytelling sessions. Reading materials, including ‘Ama Kunipila’ and ‘Mo Bikash Patra’, will be showcased. Children will also be served lassi, locally available fruits and millet cookies.

The concluding day, September 29, will feature discussions on key government initiatives and schemes, including POSHAN, SUBHADRA, MAMATA, PM-AWAS and ADVIKA. A healthy ‘Tiranga Thali’ meal will also be arranged for Anganwadi and ASHA workers.

Highlighting the importance of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, Parida said they play a crucial role in delivering nutrition and child development services at the grassroots level. She called for making ‘Angan Ka Utsav’ a meaningful platform to strengthen community participation in programmes aimed at the welfare of children and mothers.

She emphasised that active participation of families and communities is essential for improving nutrition, health and the holistic development of children.

Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, Dr. Mrinalini Darswal, Director Monisha Banerjee, CEO of TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL) Gajanan S. Kale and senior officials of the department and TPCODL were present at the inaugural programme. They called upon all stakeholders to actively participate in the campaign and make the three-day initiative a success.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda