Karimnagar: Anganwadi workers’ strike enters 18th day

Karimnagar: Anganwadi workers staged a protest by begging in the streets as their strike entered 18th day here on Thursday. AITUC district general secretary D Rajitha said that Anganwadi workers are working in ICDS for more than 45 years and serving the poor people. However, the State government has not provided them with minimum wage, pension, ESI, job security and other legal facilities.

Anganwadi workers are suffering a lot due to this. In neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, the State governments have recognised Anganwadis as government employees. Anganwadi workers have been given health cards in the States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, she said.

Retirement benefits, pension, festival bonus etc. are being provided in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and other states. Gratuity is being paid as per the Supreme Court judgment in the state of Karnataka. But the Telangana government is not providing any facilities to the Anganwadi employees, Rajitha complained.

The CM KCR changed the name of the Anganwadi workers as the teachers. But the government is not giving salaries and other facilities equal to the teachers. The government made VRA, Gram Panchayat secretaries and contract employees permanent. RTC was merged into Govt. Anganwadi workers are asking the government to make us permanent like them, she said.

On August 18, Minister Satyavati Rathod held a joint meeting with Anganwadi associations on the issues of Anganwadi employees. ICDS Commissioner and other staff also participated. In the meeting, the minister said that the problems faced by the Anganwadi employees gave specific assurances. The minister informed that the remaining issues will be looked into and resolved.

But contrary to the assurances given by the minister on August 25, the government has announced that the lowest retirement benefits will be Rs.1 lakh for teachers and Rs.50,000 for helpers and mini teachers. Anganwadi workers across the state are deeply dissatisfied with the government’s lack of response to low fixation of retirement benefits, wage hike and other issues, Rajitha said.

Anganwadi employees are worried because the state government is delaying solving the problems of the Anganwadi employees when the elections are coming up in the state. A minimum salary of Rs 26,000 should be given along with pension, ESI, job security.