Smt. Krishna Tirath, Union Minister for Women and Child Development has reviewed the impact of the recent floods in Uttarakhand on the children. The Minister has proposed to the Finance Minister to waive off the State share for construction of Anganwadis that have been destroyed or damaged in Uttarakhand due to the recent floods in the state.
The ICDS which has been recently re-strengthened and reconstructed, has provision for construction of Anganwadis with 25% of the cost being borne by the concerned State government. There is a budget provision for construction of 20,000 Anganwadi Centers in the current financial year. Keeping in view the recent situation in Uttarakhand due to the floods, Smt. Tirath has written to the Finance Minister to waive off the 25% State requirement for reconstruction, relocation and repair of the Anganwadi Centers that have been damaged or destroyed in the floods in Uttarakhand.
The preliminary estimates suggest that at least 30 Anganwadi centers and one CDPO office have been completely destroyed in the affected areas. The ICDS State Directorate has also been damaged. The present estimated additional cost will be about Rs. 1.13 lakh per Anganwadi Center. The full cost of reconstruction, relocation and repair of the Anganwadi Centers that have been damaged or destroyed will be now borne by the Ministry for Women and Child Development.
Smt. Tirath has also written to the State Chief Minister regarding this waiver and has requested the State authorities to assess the actual damage to the Anganwadis.