Many kids on paper, fewer in attendance in city anganwadis

PART 1:

At Nizamuddin Basti, it will take a while to locate anganwadi number 5. In the narrow lanes of the cramped neighbourhood, a few stairs at house number - 128 lead to the basement, which serves as an anganwadi centre.

Two women – an anganwadi worker and another helper – sit in a corner. Next to them, lie four used plates in which the day’s lunch was supposedly served to children. However, there are no children at the anganwadi at 11.43 am.

 The room — well lit and spacious compared to the other anganwadis in the area — had no trace of children’s activities either.

Delhi has 10,897 anganwadis. Of these, a DH team visited six of the seven anganwadis in Nizamuddin Basti.

When the team visited anganwadi number 5 last Thursday and asked the worker how many children benefit from the scheme, there was discrepancy in the figures. She was uncertain of the actual number of kids who came to the centre that day. In fact, there were no updated records for the past few days. The workers claimed that the children left early for the day. 

The official timings of an anganwadi are 9 am - 2 pm. Delhi government officials said children between 3-6 years who come for pre-school education should stay at the anganwadis at least until 12.30 pm.

 “It is compulsory for anganwadi worker and helper to engage children at least till 12.30 pm. After this, they should be taking field visits till 2pm,” says a senior department official.  

DH had no way to independently verify if any children were present that day or they left early.

“It is difficult to retain kids at the centre,” says Nusrat, the anganwadi worker. No lactating mother or pregnant woman, who usually come to these centres to collect lunch, was seen at the centre.

Delhi government officials said they are aware of the gaps in the system. The Women and Child Development department had recently conducted inspections during which it found inflated numbers of children on register.

“It has been observed several times in the past that there have rigging of attendance. More number of children was found on paper during inspections. The department is looking at ways to address the issue of attendance of kids at anganwadis,” says another senior official, Women and Child Development department. Under the department’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), children are provided with food, pre-school education and primary health education at the anganwadis.

While anganwadi helpers are responsible for going to households and fetching kids to the centre, anganwadi workers have to engage them in a range of activities.
Low attendance is not specific to anganwadi number 5.

At anganwadi number 6 located in 187, Tilak Wali Gali, a crammed 10X10 room with a mounted fan houses 28 kids on paper.

When the DH team reached the spot at 11.52 am, there were no kids. Four plates were found lying in a corner. The staff claimed that the children had left early for the day after the food was served. When the DH team pointed at to the few plates on the side, the anganwadi helper said two kids eat from the same plate. She also claimed there was a shortage of utensils.

According to the attendance register, 19 children — seven in the age group of 3-6 years and 12 in the group of 1-3 years — came to the centre that day. The centre on an average calls for food from the mother kitchen for 28 people.

The room from where the anganwadi is run can barely accommodate till eight kids. Most of the children are forced to play in the lane leading to the anganwadi. Some sit on the porch connecting the anganwadi room with that of the landlord’s bedroom.

The worker has been rapped by the department to look for a better rented space. “The department has asked us to look for a better room. But it is difficult to get a spacious place in this area,” says Uma, the anganwadi worker.

At anganwadi number 17 in A/114 Basti Nizamuddin there is a bustle in the area from 11.30 onwards with women coming with their utensils to the centre.

Chandni, 25, who stays next door, takes the meal home because her children refuse to eat the meal served.

“On most days of the week, the anganwadis serve khichdi. The children do not want to eat these meals. So, I take this food home for the rest of the family members.”
Other women in the locality echoed the same view.

“The meal I collect from here is enough for me and my two children. So I only have to cook one meal daily for the entire family,” says 28-year-old Aasma.

Her son meanwhile comes with a large bowl which the anganwadi helper refuses to fill and asks him to fetch a smaller vessel from the house.

“I bring a large utensil because the portion covers all of us,” adds Aasma.
At anganwadi number 1 in the area, the record register shows the food is distributed among 14 children daily. The anganwadi worker, however, says that not all children come to take food on all days.

The department is mulling over plans to come up with biometric systems and linking the beneficiaries’ Aadhar numbers with this system.

In cases of young children, parents would be responsible for punching in the attendance.
“Inflated numbers of children on paper indicates leakage of funds. This also defeats the purpose of running the anganwadis where children should be engaged in different activities during the day.

“While one way to solve this problem is to introduce biometrics, the other is actively engaging the local community members. Community members if given responsibilities will ensure that more children benefit from the scheme,” said the senior official.


Part 2: How successful isthe anganwadi model inthe National Capital?