Anganwadi workers call for protest from March 17, demand wage revision

Thiruvananthapuram: Following the lead of ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers have declared an indefinite day-and-night protest in front of the Secretariat beginning March 17.

The demonstration, led by the Indian National Anganwadi Employees Federation (INAEF), an INTUC affiliate, will call for ten key demands, including salary increases and increased service benefits. The protest will be inaugurated by Opposition Leader V D Satheesan.

The demands are similar to those of ASHA workers, with a focus on job regularisation, a raise in monthly salary to Rs 21,000, retirement benefits of Rs 5 lakh, and the clearance of pending honorarium dues without conditions, TNIE reported.

Other demands include assuring the quality of food for children, raising festival benefits to Rs 5,000, supplying better smartphones for the Poshan Tracker app, extending ESI benefits, enhancing the welfare board's operation, and paying wages in a single payment.

Anganwadi staff have voiced dissatisfaction with the lack of improvement in their service benefits, despite a significant increase in workload over the last eight years. Currently, they earn Rs 12,500 per month, while helpers receive Rs 8,750. The previous honorarium modification occurred in 2016, and while the 2021 budget proposed a Rs 1,000 increase for workers and Rs 500 for helpers, INAEF asserts the increase was never implemented.

“The government expects workers and helpers to manage Anganwadi operations from their own meagre wages. Many workers return home empty-handed,” said Mary John, a state representative of INAEF.