Anganwadi workers seek share of dues under Poshan Abhiyan

Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, July 13

The non-release of fund under the Central Government’s Poshan Abhiyan has irked anganwadi workers of the Doaba region. For the last three years, the child care workers and helpers have been deprived of the 40 per cent share of the state government.

As part of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), the Poshan Abhiyan Scheme was launched in March 2018 and as per it, the anganwadi workers were to be paid Rs 1,500 monthly — Rs 900 by the Central Government and Rs 600 by the state government. However, since October 2018, the state government has not deposited its share.

Under the scheme, food, pre-school education, and primary healthcare were to be provided to the children below six years. The scheme was linked to anganwadi centres to check malnutrition and ill-health among children.

However, poor budget allocation for nutrition in Punjab had aggravated problems of anganwadi centres, rued the workers. In addition, Gurpreet Kaur, one of the district in-charges of anganwadi workers’ union, said there were around 3,500 anganwadi workers in the district, who have been working for many years, but were not even given the status of a labourer. “We are forced to work on meagre salaries. The apathetic attitude of the government has forced the workers to either leave their work or become irregular,” said Gurpreet Kaur.

To cope with the rising cases of malnutrition among children, the poshan scheme was announced as a flagship programme to improve the nutrition of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Usha Rani, president of the All-India Federation of the Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, said apart from non-disbursal of fund under the scheme, children coming to anganwadi centres were being shifted to government schools.

“As per the state government, a government teacher is responsible for visiting an anganwadi centre to teach pre-primary children between 3-5 age group. But, no anganwadi centres are being visited by teachers. Instead, children are taken to primary schools. The monthly salary of an anganwadi worker is Rs 8,100, but we get only Rs 7,500, which is not paid on time,” added Rani, who has been working as an anganwadi worker for the last 40 years. Nearly 100-150 workers have been protesting against the government for the last four months outside the residences of Cabinet ministers Aruna Chaudhary and Vijay Inder Singla. The workers wanted immediate disbursal of fund under the poshan scheme along with pending dues.