Seeking fulfilment of their various demands, including pension and service seniority benefits, thousands of anganwadi workers will march to the State capital under a ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ protest on December 26 and 27.
Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, Dharwad district unit president of the Karnataka Rajya Anganwadi Karyakarteyara Mattu Sahayakiyara Federation Noorjahan Samudri, convener N.A. Kaji, and secretary Viramma Turakani said that the protest had been planned in response to the call given by the federation to press for the long pending demands.
Ms. Noorjahan Samudri said that although there had been significant improvement in terms of the nutrition level among pregnant woman and infants due to the efforts of anganwaid workers under comprehensive child development programme.
“However in spite of our best efforts even amid lack of basic amenities and benefits, our work is not recognised and compensated adequately,” she said.
She said there were around 1.3 lakh aganwadi workers and assistants serving in the State on a consolidated honorarium of ₹8,000 and that too without any job security and benefits like pension, provident fund, gratuity.
Ms. Noorjahan Samudri said that the federation would urge the State government to fix a pension of ₹3,000 for those who had retired now after 60 years of age and those who were nearing retirement.
The amount pertaining to National Pension Scheme too had not been given and it should be released immediately, she urged.
She said the federation wanted the State government to give addtional honorarium based on the service of the workers and assistants like what had been done in Goa.
The federation would also urge the State government to start LKG and UKG classes in anganwadis and fix minimum wages of ₹18,000 as fixed by the Union government to anganwadi workers too.
“This apart, we want the government to issue Ayushman Bharat cards to be issued to anganwadi workers along with BPL cards,” she said.
Viramma Turakani said that the anganwadi workers were being exploited by authorities and were being given additional workers without any benefits.
Mr. Kaji said that around 2,000 anganwadi workers and assistants would participate in the ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ protest.
