Brace for third wave, focus on malnourished kids, CM tells anganwadi workers

Anganwadi workers must focus on children with malnutrition and those with other health issues. The workers must coordinate with the health department and give them updates from the grassroots level, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa told anganwadi workers on Wednesday.

Since experts have warned that the third wave will affect children the most, special focus must be given to ensure their health, Yediyurappa said.

He was interacting with anganwadi workers through a video conference. During the interaction, the workers shared the challenges they faced at the ground-level during the pandemic. Savithramma, an anganwadi worker from Kolar, pointed out that while people feared the pandemic during the first wave and followed the norms, it was not the case during the second wave. “This time, people had no fear even though the deaths went up. Not many follow the norms imposed by the government,” she said.

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In areas where there are no Asha workers, the responsibility falls on the anganwadi worker to visit homes to collect swabs, trace Covid patients and admit them to Covid Care Centres, explained Leelavathi from Devanahalli. “There are no Asha workers in her area and she fulfills the duties of both Asha and anganwadi workers,” she said.

In places where the number of beneficiaries are large, anganwadi workers find it challenging to distribute food grains to everyone, added Sumalatha, a worker from Udupi.

The state government has given a compensation of Rs 30 lakh each to families of 20 anganwadi workers in the state who died due to Covid during the first wave. This time the government has announced a relief package where all anganwadi workers will get Rs 2,000, the chief minister said, appreciating the work of the anganwadi workers across Karnataka.

During the interaction, Yediyurappa even invited Manjula Sangamesh, an anganwadi worker from Belagavi to his home for a cup of coffee, as he was impressed by her work, according to an official release.