# Centre approves upgrade of 21,000 Anganwadi centres in Odisha 2026-08-25T04:11:17+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Union government has approved infrastructure upgrades for more than 21,000 Anganwadi centres in Odisha, Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur informed Parliament. The upgrades include new buildings, drinking water facilities, toilets, and upgraded facilities for children under multiple schemes. Under the MGNREGS convergence programme, 1,639 centres will be built in Odisha with Rs 9.66 crore allocated. Another 89 centres have been sanctioned under PM JANMAN for tribal communities, with Rs 10.68 crore. Drinking water facilities have been approved for 6,965 centres (Rs 17.82 crore), and toilets for 16,575 centres (Rs 24.59 crore). Additionally, 12,140 centres in Odisha will be upgraded as Saksham Anganwadis under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, with Rs 72.84 crore sanctioned. These upgraded centres will include LED screens, water filtration systems, and early childhood learning materials. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Odisha has over 74,000 Anganwadi centres, among the highest in India, many running from kutcha or rented buildings. The Saksham Anganwadi upgrade, launched under Poshan 2.0 in 2022, aims to convert all centres operating from government buildings into model centres with enhanced nutrition and preschool facilities. The Rs 72.84 crore for Odisha covers less than one-sixth of the state's total centres, suggesting a phased rollout. With the Centre approving 10,000 new centres nationally each year, the state's share of over 21,000 upgrades in this round is disproportionately large, reflecting its high tribal and rural population. The next concrete indicator to watch is the release of funds and tendering timelines by the Odisha government, which must execute the works. ## Coverage - odishatv.in Straight news agency style reporting of parliamentary statement and scheme details, no slant This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: anganwadi, MGNREGS, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Odisha, Poshan 2.0, Savitri Thakur Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/centre-approves-upgrade-of-21000-anganwadi-centres-in-odisha/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/centre-approves-upgrade-of-21000-anganwadi-centres-in-odisha/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/