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Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the valedictory session of the two-day National Departmental Summit on Women and Child Development at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan here.
The summit, part of the series of Departmental Summits envisioned by the Prime Minister, brought together Ministers and senior officials from States and Union Territories for focused deliberations on nutrition and early childhood care, child protection, womens safety and empowerment, and strengthening delivery of services through greater convergence. On Friday, the Prime Minister appreciated the intensive deliberations and emphasised the importance of collaborative decision-making between the Centre and States. He suggested that States could take this model further by organising similar Chintan Shivirs at the district level and at the Nagar Palika and Mahanagar Palika levels. He also suggested dedicated Chintan Shivirs for Anganwadi Workers to enable them to exchange experiences, innovations and practical solutions from the field. Emphasising Jan Bhagidari, the Prime Minister stressed that an Anganwadi Centre should not function as an isolated institution but become a centre of community participation. He said families living around Anganwadi Centres could also be encouraged to contribute on special occasions by sharing nutritious food, toys and locally relevant items for children. Prime Minister called for deeper engagement of universities and educational institutions with Anganwadi Centres. "Universities could adopt nearby Anganwadi Centres and undertake social-impact studies, creating opportunities for students to contribute while also generating useful insights for improving service delivery. Medical students and NSS and NCC volunteers could similarly be associated with Anganwadi Centres and community initiatives," he said. He also called for greater focus on the health, nutrition and overall development of adolescent girls. Prime Minister discussed issues concerning womens safety, he suggested developing age-appropriate modules for children on womens safety, dignity and empowerment. He also laid emphasis on preventive actions through convergence of efforts across various departments. Highlighting the close relationship between cleanliness, health and nutrition, the Prime Minister called upon Women and Child Development Departments across the country to take active ownership of the Swachhata Abhiyan. He stressed that good health and nutrition begin with cleanliness and that Anganwadi Centres and surrounding communities could become important platforms for promoting this behavioural change. Prime Minister observed that national movements such as Vocal for Local and One District One Product (ODOP) should be promoted for women empowerment. He added that womens collectives and community institutions could become important partners in strengthening local products, livelihoods and economic empowerment. Prime Minister emphasised that the Ministry of Women and Child Development and its counterparts in the States are entrusted with responsibilities touching one of the largest and most important segments of society. The children being nurtured in Anganwadi Centres today will become the youth and citizens who build Viksit Bharat. (ANI)
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