The district administration in Odisha’s Kendrapara on Saturday said the caste row over the engagement of a Dalit helper at an anganwadi centre had been amicably resolved, with the villagers agreeing to send their children from Monday.

The development came two days after the issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Expressing concern over caste discrimination at workplaces, Kharge had referred to how members of a particular community refused to let their children eat food cooked by a Dalit anganwadi worker at Nuagaon village under Ghalimala gram panchayat.

“Had the government taken timely actions in such cases in the past, this thing would not have happened,” Kharge had said.

The centre was closed for 86 days after it was boycotted by residents protesting the engagement of Sharmistha Sethy as a helper. District officials’ requests to villagers to rise above caste prejudices fell on deaf ears.

Kharge’s remark in Parliament prompted the district administration to launch renewed efforts to resolve the issue. Senior officials rushed to Nuagaon on Friday and held meetings with the villagers.

Another meeting organised on Saturday was attended by Women and Child Protection Commission member Sujata Nayak, State Women Commission member Kalpana Mallick, Kendrapara sub-collector Arun Nayak, additional district magistrate Naba Krishna Jena, Rajnagar panchayat samiti chairman Prativa Patra, among others.

“We visited homes to interact with villagers and told them about the importance of promoting social harmony,” child development project officer of Rajnagar, Deepali Mishra, told The Telegraph.

“Awareness programmes were organised with the help of folk (Pala) artists. All the villagers took a pledge to send their children to the anganwadi centre. Our officials told them that they cannot deprive their children of their rights. We also promised to work towards fostering unity and preventing such disputes in the future,” she said.

Nayak said final talks with upper-caste villagers, who had stopped sending their children to the centre, were held in the presence of stakeholders. “The officials sensitised villagers on the abolition of age-old caste practices,” Nayak said, adding that the matter had been amicably settled.

Sarpanch of Ghadiaamal panchayat, Sailendra Mishra, said: “The villagers will send their children to the centre from Monday,” he said.

The helper’s post at the anganwadi centre had been lying vacant for a long time. In 2024, the CDPO issued a notification to fill the position, but no one applied. A fresh notification was issued in November 2025, and Sethi, belonging to the SC community, was the only applicant. Following her appointment the same month, villagers stopped sending their children to the centre.

“I am happy that the matter is resolved. I am eagerly waiting for the kids to come back to the anganwadi centre,” Sethy said. “I will try my best to serve the children and women,” she said.

Sethi, a graduate, had earlier said the boycott had pained her. “What is my fault? I want to gain experience and become a teacher. I had pleaded with the villagers to send their kids, but they refused. I was completely heartbroken,” she had said.

Children aged between three and six years attend the anganwadi centre for education and nutritional support. Pregnant women, lactating mothers and infants also receive supplementary nutrition from the centre.