From time to time Government has taken many steps for strengthening Anganwadi Services. These include revision of cost norms of supplementary nutrition, provision of construction of Anganwadi Centres under convergence with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), provision of drinking water and sanitation facilities under Swacchta Action Plan (SAP), enhancement in funds for ECCE etc.

Anganwadi Services is a self-selecting universal Scheme and is open to all the eligible beneficiaries. The scheme is administered and implemented by States/UTs and they have been requested to optimize coverage of beneficiaries including child beneficiaries and to conduct local survey in the area in the jurisdiction of the Anganwadi Centres to get children of appropriate age enrolled at AWCs, if not already done. Further, States/UTs have been also advised to ensure that any child, pregnant woman or lactating mother, coming to the AWC be provided with age appropriate supplementary nutrition, irrespective of their enrollment at the AWCs.

There have been sustained engagements with State Governments for review and improvement including recent interactions to discuss different implementation related issues such as Anganwadi Infrastructure, non-operationalisation of Anganwadi Centres, filling of vacancies of Anganwadi Services functionaries, smooth delivery of services to the beneficiaries etc. to strengthen services. Further, streamlined guidelines were issued on 13.01.2021, covering several aspects such as quality assurance, roles and responsibilities of duty holders, procedure for procurement, integrating AYUSH concepts and Data management and Monitoring through "Poshan Tracker" for transparency, efficiency and accountability in delivery of Supplementary Nutrition has been issued.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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