Bengaluru: Kathyayini Chamaraj, a member of NGO Civic Bangalore studied 2,097 in Bengaluru in connection with the Swacch Bharat Philosophy and found some shocking truths. The first and foremost is that only 1,134 have toilet facilities. In other words, more than 50% of the anganwadi centers in Bengaluru do not have toilets, almost 25% of them are forced to rent bathrooms, while a few others house themselves next to public toilets to accommodate students’ needs. In many places the rented toilets/bathrooms are so small that students can be seen crowding outside them.

This is not all, says civic activist Chamaraj. “The quality of food supplied at these centres is poor and at times the packages are delivered without a manufacturing or an expiry date,” she said. She was speaking at a meeting between NGOs and government stakeholders on Friday on the problems facing anganwadis.

Chamaraj asked how a government that finds space to build a flyover doesn’t have land for an anganwadi centre. “The government gives only Rs 5,000 for the rented facilities, and most of these do not even have toilets. Requests for mobile toilets have not been addressed,” she said.

Reacting to this, Bengaluru in-charge minister Ramalinga Reddy said he will look into the problems and will hold a meeting in about a week’s time to review them.