Model anganwadi centres will be developed on the lines of play schools in Rajasthan, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Manju Baghmar has said in the state assembly.

She said the state government is committed to ensuring all-round development of women and children.

Responding to the debate on the grant of demands for the Women and Child Development Department on Tuesday night, she said 2,000 model anganwadis as well as 365 model anganwadi centres will be built at the block level.

She said also that children will be given milk thrice a week at the centres.

Girls will be empowered through schemes like Lado Protsahan Yojana, she said adding the honorarium of anganwadi workers and assistants in the state has been increased by 10 percent.

After the discussion, the House passed the demand for grant for the department by voice vote.

The minister informed that at present, supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, nutrition and health education, vaccination, health check-up and reference services are being provided through more than 62,000 anganwadi centres under 365 child development projects of the state.

About 42 lakh pregnant and lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children up to 6 years of age in the state are benefiting from various services being provided through anganwadi centres.

She said nutrition panchayats have been formed at the gram panchayat level in the state.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, 85,500 eligible women have been given the benefit of the scheme against the target of 50,000. She informed that till now an amount of about Rs 959.70 crore has been transferred to about 26.35 lakh beneficiaries under the scheme.

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