Mangaluru : The long pending juvenile home for girls will come up in the city, said Minister for State for Women and Children Development Umashree, here on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing the works of the department in the district here, Ms. Umashree said she is aware of the fact that for want of juvenile homes, minor girls accused of offences, are being sent to homes in neighbouring districts.

Ms. Umashree said she will shortly approve the proposal sent by the district officials.

At first, the home will function from a rented structure, she said and added that the department would later release grants for the construction of a juvenile home in a site allotted by the district administration.

Ms. Umashree said the department has taken up the task of changing the appearance of the anganwadi buildings and give them a children-friendly look.

Artists registered with the Karnataka Lalitakala Academy will be roped in and to start with, they will be painting the walls of over 10,000 anganwadis with cartoons, flowers and animals. Each artist will be paid an honorarium by the department.

The department is also constructing 4,000 new anganwadi buildings.

Expressing her concern over cases of malnutrition, infant mortality and maternal mortality in the district, Ms. Umashree said Associated Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and health workers will be asked to closely monitor health of pregnant women and infants.

The ASHAs and anganwadi workers will be asked to ensure that pregnant women take medicines and nutrient supplements at a right time, she added.