Anganwadi workers staged a protest outside the office of the Deputy Director for Women and Child Welfare Department here on Monday demanding that the government reinstate anganwadi workers and assistants who were dismissed from service two years ago.
State secretary of the Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers Association Shanta Ghanti, who led a protest, said that 12 anganwadi workers and assistant workers were dismissed two years ago. Though a team, led by the Child Development Planning Officer, conducted an enquiry to ascertain complaints made against the dismissed workers and gave its report three months ago, the anganwadi workers were still kept under suspension.
The death of an anganwadi worker, Mahananda, who breathed her last due to alleged shock after the department refused to reinstate her, exposed the plight of the anganwadi workers who are rattled by the coercive tactics unleashed against them, she added.
Ms. Ghanti also demanded that the government pay a compensation of ₹ 10 lakh to Mahananda’s bereaved family and urged it to take stringent action against the officials concerned and see that such incidents did not recur.
