Parents boycott anganwadi in Odisha, say don’t want kids to have meal cooked by dalit; centre remains shut in for months

KENDRAPADA: In a stark reminder of prevailing caste prejudice in rural Odisha, parents have stopped sending their children to an anganwadi centre after an educated dalit girl was appointed as helper-cum-cook, forcing the centre to remain shut for nearly three months.

Authorities had appointed Sarmista Sethi (23), a graduate, as an anganwadi helper at the Nuagaon centre under Ghadiamala gram panchayat in Rajnagar block about four months back. Soon after, the village committee, consisting mostly members from the upper caste, decided not to send children to the centre in protest against her appointment. Officials are yet to break the deadlock, leaving the fate of around 60 children hanging in balance.


Around 45 families, including seven dalit families, live in this riverside village. Sarmista faced open resistance from parents who told anganwadi worker Lizarani Pandav, an upper-caste woman, that their children would not have food prepared by a dalit woman. The village committee head also reportedly instructed families — including the dalit households— not to send their children to the centre.

“I was posted on Nov 24, 2025. Some upper-caste villagers warned me not to cook for the kids. When I refused to obey, they stopped sending their children to the centre. Even the women have stopped coming,” said Sarmista.

Sailendra Mishra, sarpanch of Ghadiamala panchayat said they had urged the village head and others to send the children to the centre. “But they didn’t listen. Pregnant women have also been avoiding the centre and losing out on crucial health benefits,” the sarpanch said.

Lizarani said she has informed the chief development project officer (CDPO) of Rajnagar block, who assured her that action would be taken against those preventing children and pregnant women from visiting the centre.

CDPO Dipali Mishra said many upper-caste parents opposed the idea of their children eating food cooked by a dalit woman. “We have been trying to convince them. Me, along with the Rajnagar tehsildar, held discussions with villagers on Tuesday, but the issue remains unresolved,” she said.

Ramakanta Das, a villager, said many parents did not want their children to consume food prepared by the dalit woman. “So they decided not to send them to the centre,” Ramakanta said.

On Tuesday, a team of dalit leaders visited the village and alleged administrative inaction against those who illegally prevented children and women from attending the anganwadi centre. “The Supreme Court, in its interim order dated April 20, 2004, in PUCL vs Government of India, had clearly stated that SC/ST candidates should be given priority as cooks in midday meals,” said Nagen Jena, district president of Dalit Samaj.

Kendrapada district collector Raghuram R Iyer said after learning about the incident, he directed the district social welfare officer to submit a detailed report. “Action will be taken against those who barred children and others from attending the centre on the pretext of a dalit girl’s appointment. We are also trying to resolve the matter amicably,” the collector said.