Anganwadi centres reopen after 11 months in J-K's Rajouri

Anganwadi centres reopened after 11 months in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Tuesday as COVID-19 restrictions began to ease across different parts of the country.

Anganwadi centres reopened after 11 months in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Tuesday as COVID-19 restrictions began to ease across different parts of the country.

A parent who sends her child to this Centre said, "I am happy that this Centre has reopened. My child is learning several self-development skills at this Centre. My child is going to become self-reliant now."(FILE PHOTO)

Speaking to ANI, District Programme Officer of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Rajouri said: "Our 1,669 Anganwadi centres were closed for almost 11 months due to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, despite these trying times, our Anganwadi workers tried their best to provide door to door facilities to the people. Many workers provided cooked meals as well while adhering to COVID-19 protocols."

"Last week, our officials held a review meeting with the district collector. It is then that we decided to reopen the centres today. Since last week, we have ensured that cleanliness, hygiene, clean toilets, water are maintained at the Centre," he added.

Manju Sharma, an Anganwadi worker in Rajouri's Palam village told ANI, "Parents are happy. Children are happy to come back to our centres. I work at Main Market, Ward No. 2, Palam Centre. In this pandemic, many poor children could not afford to study via online mode. Many did not even have a smartphone. A few who had access to smartphones or computers found it difficult to get internet access. Hence by coming back to this Centre, both parents and children feel happy."