Demanding release of wages, anganwari workers protest

Jammu, November 10

Hundreds of anganwari workers on Thursday held massive protests and courted arrests here in support of their demand for regularisation of their services and release of salaries pending for the past 11 months.

They sought a hike in honorarium to Rs 18,000 for anganwari workers and Rs 9,000 for helpers, regularisation of their services and formulation of promotion policy in their favour.

30K centres shut in Region

• Protesters sought a hike in honorarium to Rs 18,000 for anganwari workers and Rs 9,000 for helpers
• Due to the strike of workers, close to 30,000 anganwari centres were shut in the region on Thursday

Under the banner of the Anganwari Workers and Helpers Association, they raised slogans against the Jammu and Kashmir administration for failure to provide them salaries pending for release since January.

The workers, supported by the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), began the march from the Jammu Press Club, but the police did not allow them to move ahead. Consequently, they held a ‘dharna’ at the Jewel Chowk.

After brief pulls and pushes with the police, they courted arrests and some of them were forcibly taken away in the vehicles.

“The protests are being held against the government. Anganwari workers are angry. They have not being paid their honorarium from January to November this year. Our demand is that honorarium should be released immediately,” BMS General Secretary Neelam Sharma said.