Bhubaneswar: “The strength of our child development efforts lies in the capability of CDPOs at the grassroots level,” said Deputy Chief Minister Prabhati Parida, inaugurating a state-level capacity building workshop for Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) held at Lok Seva Bhawan. She emphasized that Odisha’s vision of becoming a malnutrition-free state by 2036 depends on empowering frontline leaders, and CDPOs play a central role in this transformation. Addressing over 400 officers from across the state, the Deputy Chief Minister commended their contribution in the success of SUBHDRA and called for stronger women-led development at the local level. On this occasion, she launched the “Anganwadi Welfare and Service Oversight Monitoring Everywhere” (AWESOME) app—a digital tool designed to strengthen infrastructure monitoring and service delivery at Anganwadi Centres. She also flagged off the “Aasa Jiba Anganwadi” campaign, which will run from August 1 to 15, urging citizens to visit their nearest Anganwadi Centres, assess cleanliness, infrastructure, and functioning, and share their feedback to inform service improvements. The campaign aligns with World Breastfeeding Week (August 1–7) and aims to foster community ownership of early childhood development.
Manoj Ahuja, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Odisha, Shubha Sharma, Principal Secretary Department of Women and Child Development, Monisha Banerjee, Director, W&CD and senior departmental officers were present during the event.
The Chief Secretary encouraged CDPOs to adopt people-centric strategies, noting the central role of health, nutrition, and early childhood education in the Vision Odisha 2036 framework. Shubha Sharma highlighted the importance of institutional training, setting the tone for the day’s workshop sessions.
A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between the Department and the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) to ensure continuous training and capacity building of ICDS officers and staff in Odisha. Representing NIPCCD, Additional Director Sanghamitra Barik stated that this partnership would enhance technical knowledge and professional skills at the field level.
The workshop featured technical sessions on administrative, financial, and legal responsibilities of CDPOs. Financial Advisor and Special Secretary Elora Mohanty delivered an in-depth presentation on the roles of CDPOs as Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs), followed by Itishree Das explaining pension rules, leave procedures, performance appraisals, and travel allowances. In the final session, Additional Secretary Jyotishankar Mahapatra provided detailed guidance on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act and workplace safeguards. The workshop reaffirmed the government’s commitment to empowering its frontline functionaries and building an accountable, responsive system of care for Odisha’s women and children.
