5 days ago
Good response to creche centres in Bidar district
The Koosina Mane (creche) initiative launched at Shishu Palana Kendras in gram panchayats by the Women and Child Welfare Department along with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Scheme is receiving an overwhelming response in Bidar district.
The creche facility aims to cater to the needs of working mothers by providing quality childcare facilities for children in 0-3 age group and to promote their holistic development.
The Bidar Zilla Panchayat has set up 158 Koosina Manes (creches) in the gram panchayats of eight taluks across the district. As many as 2,418 children, 1,302 girls and 1,116 boys, are admitted to Koosina Manes in the district.
Of the eight taluks in Bidar district, Bhalki taluk has the highest number of Koosina Mane centres at 35 with an enrollment of 540 children, followed by Bidar taluk with 31 centres and 495 children.
There are 28 centres in Basavakalyan taluk with an enrollment of 450 children. Aurad taluk has 16 centres with 255 children enrolled, Kamalnagar has 15 centres with 195 children and Humnabad has 14 centres with 166 children.
Chitaguppa taluk has 12 centres with 202 children and Hulsoor taluk has seven centres with 115 children enrolled.
Caretaker appointed
The zilla panchayats have identified eight women in every gram panchayat holding MGNREGA job cards and appointed two of them as caretakers on a rotational basis for each Koosina Mane established in each gram panchayat.
The caretaker provides nutritious food to children as mentioned in the week-diet plan chart provided to the centres.
In total, 1,264 caretakers have been appointed for 158 Koosina Manes in the district. The taluk-wise caretakers are as follows: Bhalki 280, Bidar 248, Basavakalyan 224, Aurad 128, Kamalnagar 120, Humnabad 112, Chittaguppa 96 and Hulsoor 56.
Initially, the State government sanctioned ₹1 lakh to each panchayat for setting up Kosina Mane with basic infrastructure. Further, ₹1.04 lakh will be released quarterly for each creche through MGNREGA and Women and Child Welfare Department for paying wages to caretakers and for providing nutritious food to children enrolled in Koosina Mane.
Fruits in menu
Infusing care into policy thinking, the Koosina Mane at Janawada Gram Panchayat has started distributing seasonal fruits to children.
Extolling the decision, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Girish Badole said that the move is aimed at providing additional nutrition to the children.
He said that all Koosina Mane centres are functioning properly with good response.
