District Magistrate of Patna, Thiagarajan S.M., presented an innovative model developed to address the problem of hearing loss in children. This initiative, leveraging the Anganwadi framework and departmental coordination, proved to be life-changing for many children without any additional budget expenditure.

Sharing experiences from Northeast India, Dr. Varnali Deka, Director of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, highlighted the ‘No One Left Behind’ initiative of the Nalbari district in Assam. Platforms like the ‘Udyam Gosthi’ fostered local entrepreneurship, giving a new direction to sustainable development in the district.

Namrata Vrishni, the District Magistrate of Bikaner, Rajasthan, discussed the challenges of the desert region and shared information on initiatives such as education in local languages, electrification, and smart TV systems at the Anganwadi level.

Presenting the rapid changes in Bihar’s sports landscape, Director (Sports) Mahendra Kumar stated that over 8,000 sports grounds have been developed in the state under MGNREGA. He highlighted Bihar as an emerging force in the sports sector through scholarships, talent identification, hosting international competitions, and infrastructure development.

The fifth session was chaired by Principal Secretary of the Sugarcane Industries Department, Government of Bihar, Narmadeshwar Lal. In this session, District Magistrate of Azamgarh, Ravindra Kumar, shared the success of welfare measures such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi and nutrition programs for women.

Prashasti Parekh, the District Magistrate of Aravalli district, Gujarat, detailed the successful outcomes of the coordination of schemes like PM-Jan Arogya Yojana, Poshan 2.0, Har Ghar Jal, Matru Vandana Yojana, and PM Awas Yojana.

Yashpal Meena, former District Magistrate of Vaishali, shared his experience of how transparency and accountability were strengthened at the village level through the ‘Apna Panchayat, Apna Prashasan’ initiative.

Shubha Kalyana, the District Magistrate of Tumakuru district, Karnataka, shared experiences such as strengthening maternal and child health services to promote institutional deliveries and empowering digital payments for women.

All these experiences made it clear that district-level leadership, when supported by state and central policies, can make development people-centric and effective.

During the survey, new reports will be requested in cases of absence at the address, incomplete documents, and death. The Women and Child Development Secretary, Shammi Abidi, reviewed the Raipur district. The review meeting directed that strict action will be taken against Anganwadi workers, supervisors, CDPOs, and DPOs for any negligence found during the survey.

Furthermore, the review meeting stated that District Program Officers, Women and Child Development Officers, and regional-level officials will now regularly inspect Anganwadis in rural and urban areas.

The revelation came in response to questions from CPI MP Sudama Prasad and TDP MP Sribharat Mathukumili on July 25. Union Minister of State Savitri Thakur shared that as of June 2025, 73.6 million children were registered across India on the Anganwadi and Poshan Tracker platforms. Data collected on the height and weight of these registered children showed that 63 districts in 13 states and Union Territories have over 50% of children suffering from stunting. Experts believe that stunting may be due to malnutrition, poor health services, and socio-economic disparities, necessitating stronger measures to address these issues. The problem is particularly pronounced in Uttar Pradesh, where children in 34 districts are affected. Districts like Chitrakoot, Banda, Sambhal, Firozabad, Jaunpur, Hamirpur, Bareilly, Amroha, Sitapur, and Etah are among the top 10 districts with high rates of stunting.

Present at the occasion were Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary, Raigarh MP Radheshyam Rathia, Rajya Sabha MP Devendra Pratap Singh, MLA Purandar Mishra, Zila Panchayat President Shikha Ravindra Gabel, Mayor Jivardhan Chauhan, and Zila Panchayat member Sushma Khalkho.

As a pilot project, this initiative will begin in six districts. Chief Minister Sai emphasized that the state government has decided to entrust the task of producing and distributing supplementary nutrition (ready-to-eat) for Anganwadi centers to women’s self-help groups. Raigarh is the first district to launch this effort, with 10 groups receiving contract letters.

The Chief Minister stated that these groups will now provide nutritious food to children in Anganwadis and will also increase their income through this work, thereby empowering them economically. This scheme is a significant step towards women’s self-employment and social and economic empowerment. It will also play a crucial role in improving the state’s nutrition levels by providing nutritious food to children.

The Chief Minister highlighted that most of the guarantees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been implemented in the past one and a half years. Examples include the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, procurement of paddy at ₹3100 per quintal, distribution of arrears bonus for two years, financial assistance of ₹1000 per month to women under the Mahtari Vandan Yojana, an increase in tendu leaf collection rates to ₹5500 per standard bag, and the re-initiation of the Charan Paduka scheme.

Additionally, the Ramlala Darshan Yojana and the pilgrimage scheme are providing residents with the benefit of visiting religious sites.

Furthermore, the launch of Atal Digital Seva Kendras aims to provide banking services to people in rural areas within their villages. So far, such service centers have been established in 1,460 panchayats in the state, enabling thousands of mothers and sisters to benefit from simple, secure, and accessible banking services. In the coming time, the remaining panchayats will also be connected to this facility.

Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary mentioned that the state government is continuously working to make women self-reliant. In line with the goal of creating 3 crore Lakhpati Didis across the country, the Chhattisgarh government is working systematically. The ready-to-eat scheme is being initiated in this direction, with six districts included in the first phase.

Women’s groups have been selected for ready-to-eat distribution in Anganwadi centers under the Raigarh Urban, Raigarh Rural, Pusaur, Kharsia, Gharghoda, Tamnar, Lailunga, Mukdega, Dharamjaigarh, and Kapu projects of Raigarh district.