The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to Odisha Women and Child Development and sought for a detailed report on the status of functional toilets at Anganwadi Centres across the State.

The apex human rights panel, monitoring the complaint filed by human rights lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, sought for submission of compliance report before 30 December.

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On 30 April, three minor girls of an Anganwadi Centre in Keonjhar district had gone to the quarry in the vicinity after attending the call of nature as there was no toilet in the Centre. However, the kids slipped at the quarry and drowned in the nearby water body, Tripathy stated in the petition.

In another mishap on 11 September, an assistant in Anganwadi center died of snakebite in Bilipada, Dampada Block of Cuttack district.

He requested the Commission to intervene on the matter and initiate penal action against the errant officials responsible for keeping vigil on the safety and security of the Anganwadi centers. The petition also sought for payment compensation to the next of kin of the deceased.

Out of the total 73,172 operational Anganwadi centres in Odisha, only 32,728 Centres have toilet facilities. Thus only about 55.3 per cent of AWS/Mini AWS in the State of Odisha still lacks basic infrastructure facilities, even after several decades of implementation of Integrated Child Development Scheme programme.

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