The State government intends to host mega celebrations in October to mark 50 years of anganwadis in Karnataka.
“We have already held a round of discussion with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Union Minister for Women and Child Development will also be invited. We intend to invite 1 lakh anganwadi workers to the programme,” Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said during a review meeting of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programmes here on Monday.
Urging the officials and anganwadi workers to work efficiently, the Minister said that the State government has raised the honorarium of anganwadi workers and assistants by ₹1,000 in the Budget, and that the Centre has recognised 3,800 mini anganwadi centres in Karnataka, the highest in the country.
“This is because the State convinced the Centre about the need to recognise mini anganwadi centres. A committee headed by retired judge Venugopal Gowda has also praised the department’s work,” she said.
Directing officials to focus on starting pre-primary — LKG and UKG — classes, Ms. Hebbalkar said: “It has become a matter of prestige for the department to open pre-primary classes. The opening of LKG and UKG classes will help in the survival of the department.”
The meeting reviewed starting pre-primary classes, appointing anganwadi workers and assistants, allocation and release of grants to ICDS, among others.
Published – May 12, 2025 08:26 pm IST
