An Anganwadi centre in Nuagaon village under Ghadiamal gram panchayat in Rajnagar block of Odisha’s Kendrapara district has remained non-functional for nearly three months after villagers allegedly stopped sending their children following the appointment of a Dalit woman as helper-cum-cook.
The villagers also skipped a meeting convened by the Kendrapara district administration on Wednesday to amicably resolve the crisis.
Sharmistha Sethy, a 20-year-old graduate appointed on November 20, 2025, claimed that the boycott began soon after she took charge.
According to her, families have not only withdrawn their children from the centre but are also refusing to collect free food items, including sattu (roasted gram flour) and eggs meant for the children.
Sharmistha Sethy alleged that the resistance was rooted in caste prejudice, according to the Hindu.
She said her family is very poor and that she secured the job only after considerable hardship.
Aspiring to become a teacher, she added that her repeated appeals to the villagers went unheard. According to her, families stopped sending their children because she is a Dalit, and she remarked that while society has progressed in many ways, clinging to casteism would only hinder further development.
Anganwadi worker corroborated her account, stating that although 20 children are enrolled at the centre, none are currently attending. The worker said they went door to door urging families to send their children, but no one agreed.
A team of district level officials led by Kendrapara Sub-Collector had visited Nuagaon village under Ghadiamal gram panchayat in Rajnagar block.
“We want villagers to send their children to Anganwadi centre as the absence is affecting their pre-school learning as well as healthy diets, as the government provides free of cost. However, only Sarpanch and ward member (elected representatives) and two villagers turned up for meeting,” said Deepali Mishra, Child Development Project Officer (CDPO).
Mishra said that the post of helper-cum-cook had been advertised in 2024 and again in 2025, and Sethy was the only applicant.
Authorities are now attempting to ensure that children return to the centre so that their pre-school education and nutrition are not disrupted. A final decision, she said, will be taken by higher authorities.
Sethy, who receives a monthly honorarium of ₹5,000, is responsible for cooking meals, assisting in play-based learning, and helping monitor children’s health.
The matter was also raised in Parliament by Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge. He expressed concern over caste discrimination at workplaces and referred to the Odisha incident as an example.
“In the 21st century, when we make grand claims of social development and reform, people in Odisha from a particular community are refusing to let their children eat food prepared by a Dalit woman helper-cum-cook. For the past three months, that anganwadi centre has been boycotted,” he said.
Kharge emphasised that Anganwadi centres form the foundation of children’s physical and mental development, warning that caste-based discrimination would adversely affect their growth.
He further stated that such incidents violate Article 21A of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to education, and run contrary to Article 47, which places a duty on the State to improve nutrition and public health.
He added that such episodes also amount to caste discrimination at the workplace and noted that similar incidents have surfaced in different parts of the country in recent years.
