E-Paper
Anganwari workers among foot soldiers in battle against Covid-19 in Jalandhar
Besides delivering food and medicine to children and pregnant women, they assist health officials in ground-level work
Anganwadi workers are playing a significant role in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus outbreak in the Doaba region.
They are assisting the health department in carrying out extensive ground-level work, including door-to-door survey, besides delivering food and medicine to children and pregnant women.
In Jalandhar district, where 24 people have been found positive for Covid-19 so far, there are around 1,654 anganwadi centres and over 1.10 lakh children enrolled with them.
Though the state government has shut down anganwadi centres, workers are ensuring home-delivery of materials for mid-day meal to children and pregnant women.
“We deliver packed boxes of raw material, including milk powder, rice, and bulgur in each house of registered pregnant women, lactating mothers and anganwadi children,” said Maya Devi, anganwadi worker from Nagar Khurd in Jalandhar east.
She said they have also been preparing masks at their homes and distributing these free among needy people.
Another worker Mohinder Kaur from Virk village, where four people tested positive for coronavirus last month, said besides delivering food, they have assisted delivery of four women of the village in the recent past.
Sunita Rani, a worker from Kapurthala, said, “Though we are under risk of virus infection as we visit hundreds of houses on daily basis, including those of coronavirus patients, we continue to perform our duty eight hours a day in the service in humanity.”
Rajwinder Kaur, anganwari worker of Kahlon village in SBS Nagar, said they also face various difficulties during their work. “For example, the behaviour of NRIs towards us had been hostile when we used to visit their houses on daily basis to know their health status.”
Rajwinder also said that there is always risk of virus infection but they never shunned their duty. “We traced all the NRIs in the district and kept surveillance so that they remain under home quarantine.”
She said that more than 5,000 beneficiaries, including children and pregnant women are registered with anganwari in SBS Nagar. “We distribute required essential commodities to them.”
