Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan on Friday urged the Union government to fulfil the demands of the anganwadi workers and helpers. They played a major role in taking care of the nutrition needs of children at anganwadi centres, he said on Friday.
Speaking at the 10th National Conference of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) in Madurai, he urged the anganwadi workers and helpers to continue to fight for their rights and demands and criticised the Union government for cutting the budget allocation for the anganwadi services.
The four-day national conference that commenced on December 6 concluded on Friday. The concluding address was presented by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) President K. Hemalatha. AIFAWH members across India who participated in the conference later took out a rally pressing their demands.
At the national conference, AIFAWH passed resolutions seeking better wages, job security and regularisation of services of the anganwadi workers and helpers. They said that their contributions were being neglected by the Union government. How to address and overcome the various challenges was the objective of the conference, they said.
Some of the key resolutions passed at the national conference included the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment that held that the anganwadi workers and helpers were entitled to gratuity. The anganwadi workers said that they should not be harassed in the name of the Poshan Tracker App for the daily data on the nutrition status. They said that it was faulty and should be set right.
At the discussions held during the national conference, various leaders condemned the Union government for reducing the budget allocation for the anganwadi services. They also condemned the Union government for taking steps to privatise various sectors. The officer-bearers and other members were felicitated at the conference.
