India, March 12 -- The Centre has told Parliament that there are 82,065 vacancies for Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and 131,244 vacancies for Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) in the country as of 2024-25.

The highest vacancies were reported in Uttar Pradesh, with 29,858 vacant AWW positions and 26,007 vacant AWH positions. Other states facing significant shortages include West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar. Bihar has 2,915 vacant AWW positions and 11,868 vacant AWH positions, while Gujarat faces shortages of 3,181 AWWs and 6,895 AWHs.

The data was provided on Wednesday by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) in response to a question raised by Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain in the Rajya Sabha.

Regarding infrastructure, the Ministry sa...