MYSURU, 22 JULY

District-in-charge secretary and IAS officer S Selvakumar expressed concerns over the declining enrolment of children under six years old in the Mysuru district's Anganwadi Centres.

During a progress review meeting at Zilla Panchayat Hall on Monday, the officer called for officials from the Women and Child Welfare Department to prepare a detailed report identifying the reasons behind this decline.

The meeting revealed that Mysuru district has 2,933 Anganwadi Centres, serving a total of 157,138 beneficiaries, which includes 47,796 children under three and 75,536 children under six, alongside 14,880 pregnant women and 13,157 lactating mothers. An alarming trend noted was a significant number of enrolled children frequently absent from these centres.

Selvakumar emphasised the need to investigate the causes of low enrollment and absenteeism. The discussion also touched on other developmental concerns, including agricultural challenges due to insufficient rainfall and progress in drinking water supply initiatives.

Zilla Panchayat officials, including CEO S Ukeshkumar and Deputy Secretary M. Krishnaraju, were also in attendance as local authorities seek solutions to enhance early childhood education in the region.