Bright Idea, Dark Reality: Madhya Pradesh Anganwadis Get LED TVs, But No Electricity

In Madhya Pradesh, a move aimed at development has come with a sense of irony and a little bit of a dark side. In Umaria district, officials distributed shiny new LED TVs and water filters to 116 Anganwadi centres as part of the 'Saksham Anganwadi' modernisation drive. The catch? Not one of these centres has an electricity connection.

Of the 786 Anganwadis in Umaria, just 322 have electricity. Yet, somehow, 116 powerless centres made it to the "eligible" list and got their LEDs and RO (Reverse Osmosis) machines delivered with official fanfare.

"We got the LED, but no electricity. For now, it's wall decor," Anganwadi worker Vandana Singh from Chhoti Salaiya laughs,

Pushpa Singh from Patrei says, "We will use the TV to teach mothers about nutrition once we have power."

To add to the anganwadis' problems, some of them don't even have a water connection, rendering the RO machines useless. Workers fetch water from afar, yet the administration insists the filters will "work soon".

When NDTV contacted Divya Gupta, the Women and Child Development Officer, she said 116 Anganwadi centres were selected as 'Saksham Anganwadi Centres' and have received TVs and RO systems. For those without power, discussions are underway with the Madhya Pradesh electricity board, and connections will be provided soon, she said.

A 'Saksham Anganwadi' refers to a modern, upgraded version of India's rural childcare centres under the Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 program. These centres aim to provide integrated nutrition, early childhood care, and learning services for children under six, adolescent girls, and expecting or lactating mothers. The programme focuses on improved infrastructure, better nutrition, and modern service delivery to combat malnutrition and promote health, wellness, and immunity.