Odisha Anganwadi shut for months amid boycott over Dalit appointment

An Anganwadi centre in Odisha’s Kendrapara district has remained effectively non-operational for close to three months after residents reportedly stopped sending their children following the appointment of a Dalit woman, Sharmistha Sethy, as helper-cum-cook, as per media reports.

The 20-year-old graduate said attendance at the centre in Nuagaon village under the Ghadiamal gram panchayat of Rajnagar block collapsed shortly after she took up the post on 20 November last year. According to her, families also ceased collecting supplementary nutrition distributed through the centre.

“They are also not collecting free food items like sattu (roasted gram flour) and eggs for children. My family is very poor. I got this job after much hardship. I want to become a teacher, but no one listened to my repeated appeals,” she said.

Sethy maintained that the reaction stemmed from entrenched caste attitudes rather than any issue related to the functioning of the facility.
“They are not sending their children because I am a Dalit. Society has advanced in many ways, but if we continue to cling to casteism, we cannot progress,” she said.

An Anganwadi worker posted at the centre supported her account, noting that though 20 children remain officially enrolled, attendance has fallen to zero. “We went door to door, but no one is willing to send their children,” the worker said.

In response to the situation, the Kendrapara district administration deputed a team of officials on Tuesday to evaluate the impasse and explore ways to restore normal functioning.

Child development project officer Deepali Mishra said she had engaged with residents but had not received explicit explanations for their actions.
“I held talks with the villagers, but they are not citing any specific reason for keeping their children away. They are not openly attributing the issue to the helper’s caste,” she said.

Mishra added that the position had been publicly advertised in both 2024 and 2025, with eligible residents encouraged to apply. “Ms. Sethy was the lone applicant. We are making efforts to ensure that the children return so that their pre-school education is not affected. The final decision will be taken by higher authorities,” she said.

Sethy, who receives a monthly honorarium of Rs 5,000, is responsible for preparing meals, assisting with play-based early learning activities and supporting routine health monitoring for beneficiaries.

Despite the ongoing disruption to services meant for young children and mothers, villagers reportedly declined to comment publicly on the matter when approached.

With media inputs