OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Union minister Savitri Thakur, who arrived in Arunachal Pradesh's capital on Saturday, held discussions with senior officials of the state women and child development department in the presence of minister Dasanglu Pul, covering all administrative divisions of the state.
The union minister of state for Women and Child Development is on a three-day visit to the north-eastern state.
Key focus areas included the implementation and progress of important central schemes, such as Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, the Sambal component of Mission Shakti, and women- & child-centric legislations, officials said.
The minister also reviewed the progress of these schemes, addressing the challenges in implementation and discussing critical issues such as infrastructural concerns of anganwadi centres (AWCs), vacancies in Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), and other operational bottlenecks.
The primary objective of the visit of the minister is to assess the progress of various flagship schemes aimed at the welfare and development of women and children in the region and to strengthen collaboration between the central and state governments.
Thakur also called on state Governor Lt Gen (Retd) K T Parnaik at Raj Bhawan here and discussed issues related to anganwadi services, including supplementary nutrition, preschool non-formal education, nutrition & health education, immunization, health check-ups, and referral services. Parnaik, while welcoming the minister to the state, said that her visit would boost the implementation of welfare programmes and projects under the women and child development ministry and also provide them with the ground reality of the state and region for their future planning.
The governor commended the services provided by the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) officials, anganwadi workers, and helpers and said that they empower women to live with dignity and nurture children with full opportunities for growth and development in a safe and protective environment. Sharing his interactions with anganwadi workers during his district tours, the governor suggested the minister enhance the financial remuneration and incentives for the service providers. He said that as the population is sparsely distributed, the anganwadi workers and helpers have to cover large areas in challenging terrain and climatic conditions, particularly for immunization and supplementary nutrition.
Parnaik also suggested enhancing the financial support for the construction of anganwadi centre buildings. He said that due to difficult terrain and remoteness, the construction costs escalate, and pragmatic rate costs are needed for soft and hard regions.
The minister appreciated the suggestions and assured the governor to address the requirements of the state. Thakur also met Chief Minister Pema Khandu and discussed policies focused on the welfare of women and children.
Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh CM Addresses Deputy Commissioners at Two-Day Sashakt Arunachal Conference
Also Watch: