Anganwadi workers, affiliated to the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), will picket the residence of Union Ministers across the on January 17 to urge them to drop the ‘unscientific’ proposal of extending cash instead of nutritious food to pregnant women and children. In Karnataka, the anganwadi workers will demonstrate in front of the residences of Ananth Kumar, Ramesh Jigaginagi, D. Sadananda Gowda and Anantkumar Hegde.
Workers from Hyderabad-Karnataka – Ballari, Koppal, Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburgi and Bidar – will protest before the house of Anantkumar Hegde at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district.
Addressing a joint press conference here on Thursday, K. Nagrathnamma, vice-president of the State Anganwadi Workers’ Association, and J. Satyababu, president of the district unit of CITU, said that the proposed ‘unscientific’ decision, if implemented, would defeat the very purpose of integrated child development scheme (ICDS) in eradicating malnourishment.
Strongly condemning the Centre for reducing the grants for ICDS, and also the reported statement of Union Minister for Women Development Maneka Gandhi of introducing direct benefit transfer to the beneficiaries, they felt that it was a sinister design to close down all anganwadis.
“If direct benefit transfer is introduced the number of children suffering from malnutrition would increase on one hand and the beneficiaries would not be able to purchase the nutrients at the amount given to them. Secondly, experts are of the opinion that providing cooked meal was better than distributing packed food,” Ms. Nagarathna pointed out.
She also informed that the Union and CITU would intensify their struggle against the design of closing anganwadi centres and also to get long pending demands including regularisation of services, treating them as labourers, job security among other things, to protect the interest of the anganwadi workers.
