In Gandhinagar, on March 12, Minister of Women and Child Development, Dr. Manisha Vakil, responded to MLA Jignesh Mevani's remarks about Anganwadi workers and malnutrition during the Gujarat Assembly session. She stated that the condition of Anganwadi centers had significantly improved under the current government.
Speaking during the debate on the Women and Child Development Department's budget of ₹7,689.84 crore, Vakil emphasized that those questioning the government should consider the previous situation.
"Those who ask what has changed should remember that during the Congress rule, Anganwadi registers were damaged by termites, and no one knew where the rations were going," she claimed.
She further added, "Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Anganwadi workers have smartphones and the 'Poshan Tracker' application, which allows real-time monitoring of services provided to children in remote areas. This technology ensures transparency for everyone."
Vakil's comments followed Mevani's speech in the Assembly, where he raised concerns about frontline workers and nutrition levels in the state.
He stated that ASHA workers and Anganwadi workers continued to work with inadequate wages and benefits, and asked when the government would recognize them.
"This is not good for Gujarat that ASHA workers remain without pension and even minimum wages. ASHA workers rely solely on incentives. If we don't provide them with minimum wages today, then when will we?" Mevani said.
He also discussed malnutrition figures in tribal communities.
"With so many major real estate companies, business tycoons, and numerous corporate companies like Amul and Dudhsagar Dairy, and the BJP government with more than 150 seats and 28 years of rule, yet one statistic consistently appears – 40 out of 100 children are malnourished," he told the Assembly.
Responding to the criticism, Vakil said that Anganwadis in Gujarat had evolved from poorly maintained facilities to technology-enabled centers.
"There was a time when Anganwadis were dark rooms, and the schemes were only on paper, lost in corruption. Today, Anganwadis in Gujarat are 'smart', where children are receiving education through smart TVs and modern methods," she said.
The minister stated that the state had introduced digital monitoring systems to track nutrition services.
Through the 'Poshan Tracker' application, she said, authorities could monitor details such as the weight of a child in a remote tribal village and the milk provided to that child.
According to Vakil, over 53,000 Anganwadi centers serving approximately 48 lakh beneficiaries were being brought under an AI-based attendance and image-processing system, for which ₹5 crore had been allocated.
She also mentioned the introduction of QR code technology in the distribution of take-home rations to create a "digital shield" and ensure transparency.
Referring to nutrition outcomes, Vakil said the state had shown improvement compared to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-20).
"With the resolve of a malnutrition-free Gujarat, significant results have been achieved by January 2026. The proportion of underweight citizens has decreased from 39.7 per cent to 11.4 per cent, which is a reduction of 28.30 per cent," she said.
Vakil also stated that Anganwadi centers were being upgraded into "smart learning centers".
More than 1,000 new Anganwadi centers had been inaugurated since January 2025, while ₹360 crore had been allocated in 2026-27 for new Anganwadi buildings.
Highlighting women-focused initiatives, she said that Gujarat had one of the highest shares of gender budgeting in the country, with approximately 39 per cent of the 2025-26 state budget allocated under the gender budget framework, covering nearly 770 schemes for women.
Under the 'Chief Minister Matrushakti Yojana', ₹284 crore had been allocated for 5.22 lakh pregnant and lactating mothers.
The minister said that assistance had been approved for 3,35,607 girls under the 'Vahli Dikri' scheme aimed at encouraging the birth and education of girls, with online application and real-time tracking facilities provided.
On women's safety, she said that 17.96 lakh women had received assistance through the '181 Abhayam' helpline, including 3.58 lakh cases where immediate rescue teams reached the spot.
The state also has 270 'Nari Adalats' (women's courts) functioning for amicable resolution of family disputes.
Vakil also stated that Anganwadis were supporting early childhood education through programs such as the ‘Pa Pa Pagli’ project, for which ₹14.85 crore had been allocated, while ₹205 crore had been earmarked under the 'Dudh Sanjeevani' scheme benefiting about 13.5 lakh children.
She also referred to the ‘Balika Panchayat’ initiative that began in Kutch’s Kunariya village and had expanded across the state, where girls aged 11 to 21 take part in discussions on issues such as child marriage and adolescent health.
“Children’s health is not an issue of any one party but of the entire society. Everyone must work together to build a strong India through a ‘Suposhit Gujarat’,” she said.
The Assembly later passed the budgetary demands of the Women and Child Development Department.
