Team Herald
VALPOI: This is a befitting example of being “for the people, by the people and of the people.”
The villagers from Velgem “gifted” themselves on Monday, a new building for their Anganwadi. They toiled 24×7 and built it with their contribution and Devasthan money. It has been built on Devasthan land. Befittingly, they decided not to invite “any big wig” as a chief guest for the inaugural of the unit. They, themselves, inaugurated the new Anganwadi building.
This is the first Anganwadi building in Goa, which was built with villagers’ contribution. Villagers had laid the foundation stone in February 2017 and by May-end they finished it. It took them Rs 450,000 to complete the project.
“There are 250 houses in our village and each house contributed Rs 500 and we also added Devasthan fund, said Mahadev Gaonkar, president of the Devasthan committee.
“We had given a proposal to build new Anganwadi building to the Director of development project officer, Sattari Taluka three years ago. But we heard nothing from the authorities,” said Krishna Gaonkar, a villager.
“We had raised the issue several times with our MLA, but did not get a positive reply from him,” said Prakash Naik.
There are 55 students in our Anganwadi.
We have a huge hall, a store room, a kitchen, washroom and toilet,” informed Narayan Mhalshekar, a resident of the villager.
