Two days after a caste row over the engagement of a Dalit woman as an anganwadi helper was raised in Parliament, Odisha's Kendrapara district administration on Saturday (February 14, 2026) said the matter had been resolved through negotiations.
Villagers in Odisha boycott anganwadi over appointment of Dalit employee
Kendrapara district sub-collector Arun Nayak said the matter has been amicably resolved as villagers have agreed to send their children to the anganwadi centre from Monday (February 16, 2026).
"Final talks with upper-caste residents, who had stopped sending their children to the centre since November 21, were held in the presence of stakeholders, including members of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Odisha State Commission for Women. The officials sensitised villagers on the abolition of age-old caste practices," he said.
Kharge flags Odisha anganwadi boycott, calls caste discrimination ‘shameful’
