A significant number will be opened in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik to address the problem of creche for working women
To address the issue of malnutrition, the state government aims to start 40,000 new anganwadis across Maharashtra in the next five years. However, sources in the department claim that the land and budget constraint may hamper the implementation of the project.
Anganwadis are courtyard shelters that are meant to combat hunger and malnutrition in children, particularly in rural belts and urban slums.
"The government has been wanting to start more anganwadis but procuring land is a major hurdle. However, now we have floated a proposal to have prefabricated structures as Anganwadis which will make the implementation more cost-effective and quicker. The department has already floated the tenders inviting the bidders for the job," said a senior government officer.
Out of the proposed 40,000 anganwadis, the government is keen to start a significant numbers in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik to address the problem of creche for working women.
As of today, Maharashtra has one lakh anganwadis of which Mumbai has only 4,000.
"In bigger cities more women go to work and hence we understand the problem of not having a safer place to leave your child behind particularly for poor women. Therefore, the department is determined to start more anganwadis in urban slums," the officer added.
To promote education in anganwadis in August 2015, the department finalised a draft syllabus prepared by the Maharashtra State Council for Education Research and Training (MSCERT) for all children attending anganwadis.
The syllabus has been prepared in consultation with the national institute and experts from the state ministry of women and child welfare. "The syllabus, if approved, might be replicated by other states for their formal pre-school education."
Currently, there is no common syllabus for students in anganwadis. "The syllabus prepared by us does not have any writing or reading activity. The emphasis is on making learning a fun activity and the focus of the syllabus is on projects, drawing, singing and identifying things such as shapes and colours," he said.
Maharashtra will be the first state in the country to have a formal syllabus for Anganwadis, if the syllabus is implemented.
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