Vijayanagar
The Anganwadi center in Vallabhapura village is grappling with severe challenges, with 56 children crammed into a small space for meals and lessons. The purpose of providing pre-primary education at the Anganwadi center appears to be a distant dream. For the past two and a half years, children from two separate centers have been accommodated in a single center. The previous worker retired, and now one worker manages both centers. The center faces a lack of adequate electricity, and even though there is a fan, it is non-functional. As a result, children endure the scorching heat. There is a water tank, but it remains unused, and the garden developed under the Narega project has withered due to the absence of water. Although a building was constructed at an estimated cost of ₹15 lakh, the children have not had the opportunity to use it even for a single day. Currently, it sits unused like a warehouse. Delays in recruiting workers have forced the children from both centers to share the same inadequate space. Geeta, an activist from Anganwadi Center-2, explained, Due to the lack of space, it is challenging for children from both centers to engage in literacy and extracurricular activities. The center operates from morning until 4 pm. In the entire taluk, there are a total of 243 Anganwadi centers. Out of these, 226 centers have their own buildings. However, two Anganwadi centers in the town lack electricity connections. The Child Development Project Officer stated that applications have been solicited for the positions of seven workers and twelve assistants in the taluk, and these vacancies will be filled soon.
