‘Minister Sandhyarani highlights key welfare achievements in AP

Minister for Women, Child Welfare, and Tribal Welfare, Gummidi Sandhyarani, outlined significant achievements of the coalition government in her department’s efforts over the first six months of the Chandrababu Naidu government. She chaired a review meeting with officials from the Women’s Development and Child Welfare and Tribal Welfare Departments on Wednesday to discuss progress since June 2024.
Minister Sandhyarani highlighted several key initiatives, including the allocation of ?52.68 crores for the construction of toilets and provision of drinking water facilities in Anganwadi centers. She also mentioned the allocation of `40.54 crores to upgrade 8,853 Anganwadi centers with facilities such as nutrition gardens, rainwater harvesting, LED screens, and RO water purifiers. The Minister announced the procurement and distribution of 80,194 growth monitoring devices, worth `10.18 crores, to track children’s nutritional status. She added that `4.76 crores had been released for 34.66 lakh Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) books aimed at enhancing literacy among children aged 3 to 6 years.
Sandhyarani noted the launch of 139 new Anganwadi centers under PMJANMAN to improve living conditions for vulnerable tribal groups. A total of 5.98 lakh community-based events, including health and nutrition programs, have been organized across all AWCs. The Minister also reported the successful prevention of 780 child marriages through monitoring committees.
Further developments included the filling of 301 posts at district-level AWCs, 126 at one-stop centres, and 94 vacancies at Mission Vatsalya. An amount of `6.14 crores has been allocated for the rehabilitation of 1,296 victims of violence.
The Minister also emphasized the successful rescue of 371 children from child labour and begging during special drives between July and November. A Surya Kumari, Secretary of the Women’s Development and Child Welfare Department, and M. Vengopal Reddy, Director, along with other officials, were present at the meeting.