4 days ago
Maharashtra Collector Chooses Government Anganwadi for Her Twins
Mittali Sethi is a government officer in Maharashtra.
She sent her twin children to a nearby government Anganwadi when they were three years old.
An Anganwadi is a local centre where young children learn and receive care.
Sethi chose it because she liked and trusted the women working there.
One worker made a soft cloth sling that helped children stay calm while being weighed.
Sethi admired this clever solution because it used local skills instead of a complicated government process.
She wanted her children to learn from people who solve problems creatively.
Some family members wondered whether a government centre was as good as a private one.
After a year, Sethi said she still believed she had made the right choice.
She also said having her children there made her pay closer attention to the centre’s needs.
Nandurbar Collector Mittali Sethi enrolled her twins in a local government Anganwadi when they turned three.
Sethi said she trusted the women running the centre and chose it because it was near her home.
An Anganwadi worker worked with a local tailor to create a comfortable cloth weighing sling called a jholi.
Sethi said the worker’s practical innovation showed her the values and skills she wanted her children to learn.
A year later, Sethi remained satisfied and said using the centre helped her notice problems such as stagnant water and infrastructure deficiencies.
- Who
- Mittali Sethi, the collector of Nandurbar, and her twins; Anganwadi workers also feature prominently.
- What
- Sethi enrolled her twins in a local government Anganwadi and publicly explained her choice.
- Where
- A local Anganwadi in Nandurbar district, Maharashtra.
- When
- The twins joined when they turned three; Sethi said she remained convinced of the decision one year later.
- Why
- Sethi trusted the women running the centre, liked the Anganwadi, and wanted her children to learn from their practical problem-solving.
Public Anganwadi Supporters
Private-Education Skeptics
Quality of early education
Public Anganwadi Supporters
Sethi said she trusted the Anganwadi workers and believed their creativity and care offered valuable lessons for her children.
Private-Education Skeptics
Family members and others questioned whether a government-run early education centre could match private alternatives.
Public-service accountability
Public Anganwadi Supporters
Sethi argued that officials who use public services may pay closer attention to problems such as stagnant water and infrastructure deficiencies.
Private-Education Skeptics
The article does not identify a specific opposing official position, but the questions about public centres reflect doubts about their facilities and quality.
Key facts
- Officer
- Mittali Sethi, collector of Nandurbar
- Children
- Sethi’s twins
- Age at enrollment
- Three years old
- Type of centre
- Government Anganwadi
- Key innovation
- A comfortable cloth weighing sling, or jholi
- Innovation partners
- An Anganwadi worker and a local tailor
- Later assessment
- Sethi said she remained convinced the choice was right after one year
Quotes
Mittali Sethi
IAS officer and collector of Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district
“There was this Anganwadi tai who created a jholi with the local tailor, and she said, 'I think this is a nice jholi'. So we went to the Anganwadi, we put a child in it, and for the first time, the child did not cry.”
CNBC TV 18
“I put them in the Anganwadi because I like the Anganwadi. I mean, I feel like there's no more simple answer to this,”
CNBC TV 18











