Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Saturday virtually launched the ‘Angan Ka Utsav’ campaign aimed at strengthening nutrition, health awareness and early childhood development services for children, women and adolescent girls across the state.
On the occasion, Parida announced an increase in the clothing allowance for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers from ₹1,390 to ₹1,500. Under the revised provision, the Centre will contribute ₹600 and the Odisha Government ₹900. With a budgetary provision of ₹22.30 crore, around 1.48 lakh Anganwadi Workers and Helpers will benefit.
The Deputy Chief Minister also launched DIPTI (Direct Invoice Payment & Tracking Interface), a digital platform for electricity bill management at Anganwadi Centres. Developed jointly by the Women and Child Development Department and DISCOMs, the system will facilitate direct verification, payment and tracking of electricity bills, reducing the financial and administrative burden on Anganwadi workers.
The three-day ‘Angan Ka Utsav’ will be held from September 27 to 29 across 74,224 Anganwadi Centres as part of Poshan Maah and the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan.
The first day will feature nutrition and food competitions, including ‘Poshan Pitha’ showcases and cooking competitions for fathers. The second day will focus on games, storytelling and child-centric activities, while the concluding day will feature discussions on schemes such as POSHAN, SUBHADRA, MAMATA, PM-AWAS and ADVIKA.
Around 37.11 lakh beneficiaries and AMC members, along with 13.03 lakh children aged 3–6 years, are expected to participate.