In a brave and splendid move, District Collector of Tirunelveli, Shilpa Prabhakar Satish, has enrolled her daughter in an Anganwadi centre in Palayamkottai, instead of a private playschool, reports the Indian Express.

When asked on what encouraged her to do so, Shilpa said, “I want my daughter to mingle with people from all sections of society and learn how to get along with others. That’s why I chose this instead of a nursery school.” A native of Karnataka, Shilpa also expressed satisfaction that her daughter had picked up Tamil.

Anganwadi, a government-run initiative, is child care centre for the poor. Shilpa, who is from Karnataka, has joined her daughter in it and is happy because her daughter has picked up her Tamil.

Shilpa says that the center, which is near the Collectorate, is equipped with every facility, quality infrastructure, trained staff, and excellent teachers.

“Every anganwadi centre in Tirunelveli has a smart phone, using which they measure the height and weight of children to ensure dietary intake. We have further plans to develop these anganwadis, which play an important role in early childhood care and development,” says Shilpa, the first woman Collector of Tirunelveli.

“We have further plans to develop these anganwadis, which play an important role in early childhood care and development,” she added.