Matribhumi Samachar English
The Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India, Smt. Annpurna Devi, visited Ranchi, Jharkhand today to review the progress of various schemes of the Ministry.
During the meeting held at the Project Building, Conference Room in Ranchi, the Minister thanked the Prime Minister while emphasizing the increased scope of PM Ayushman Bharat Jan ArogyaYojana (PM AB-JAY) to cover those over 70 years of age. This along with including the Anganwadi workers and helpers under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme will increase the insurance penetration in India.
She also stressed on the importance of upgrading Mini Anganwadi Centres into full-fledged AWCs to ensure enhanced service delivery. In this direction, approval was granted for the upgradation of 2,551 Mini AWCs to full AWCs in Jharkhand.
The Minister highlighted that this upgradation as part of Mission Saksham Anganwadi, focuses on creating well-equipped centres that provide integrated services in child development, nutrition, and health. In this direction, 6850 Anganwadi Centres have already been approved for upgradation in the state of Jharkhand.
She also spoke on the Prime Minister’s commitment towards betterment of tribal community especially through the PM-JANMAN scheme. To make it a success, funds have been allocated to 111 Anganwadi centres in Jharkhand, which covers areas with sizeable ,particularly vulnerable ,tribal population.
Further, the Minister also acknowledged the ongoing Poshan Maah celebrations, highlighting that over 3.8 crore activities have been completed nationwide.In Jharkhand alone, the “EkPed Ma KeNaam” campaign has led to over 26 lakh activities.
The meeting was attended by key officials including Shri Manoj Kumar, Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, Jharkhand, and Shri Gyanesh Bharati, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India.
The Minister directed the officials present, to have a renewed focus on priority areas such as the implementation of the PM-JANMAN scheme, improving training for Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Supervisors, and addressing operational challenges in the State’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). She noted that efforts in this direction will go a long way in contributing to the Prime Minister’s vision of a Viksit Bharat and women-led development.
The Minister concluded the meeting with affirming the government’s dedication towards empowering women and children through strategic initiatives of the Ministry like Mission Saksham Anganwadi, Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti and called for timely action to overcome the challenges identified during the review.
