The indefinite strike called by two lakh anganwadi workers in Maharashtra, demanding increased monthly honorarium and provision of pension, entered third day on Thursday, affecting the operations of 1.7 lakh centres, along with the distribution of nutritional food as well as monitoring of pregnant women and undernourished children.
The grassroots-level health an nutrition workers, who began their state wide strike on December 5, insist on continuing with it until their demands are met.
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In March 2023, heeding their demand, the monthly honorarium of Anganwaid workers was raised from Rs 8,500 to Rs 10,000. The workers who play a vital role in providing basic healthcare, nutrition and education services to communities, are now demanding Rs18,000 per month.
“If we cease work, vital services such as nutritious meals for pregnant women and children, counselling for pregnant women and teenage girls, take-home rations, pre-primary education for vulnerable children, and more come to a halt. Despite our extensive contributions, the government denies us our rightful dues. But we get less than ASHA workers who get Rs 18,000 along with other facilities,” said Sumita Valvi, anganwadi worker, Nandurbar.
The unions of the aganwadi workers cited that according to labour laws, the minimum wage for a contract worker is around Rs 18,000, excluding additional dearness allowance. The workers reasoned that they put in nearly five hours on-site and an additional four hours at home for tasks such as daily data filling and record-keeping.
“In the Supreme Court’s hearing last year, it was decided that anganwadi employees, recognised as statutory posts, should be officially classified as government employees. This designation grants them entitlement to various benefits, including salary scale, gratuity, provident fund and social security. But we have got none,” said Kamal Parulekar, secretary, Anganwadi Sevika Union general.
The Indian Express spoke with several Anganwadi workers who shared their plight, highlighting how the low monthly honorarium leaves them with no savings. “We have to go to the remotest areas for vaccination and to weigh children, carrying the kit. We aren’t even provided any vehicle and have to take our two-wheelers. Often, we have to recharge our phones and tablets to use the Poshan app to update the data. We have to shell out a lot of money from our pocket,” said Sunita Shelar, anganwadi worker from Palghar.
“We don’t get to save any money. When we retire, we will have to rely on our children for support. In cases where women are childless or widowed, they face a challenging old age without even a penny for their treatment,” said Parulekar.
They have also requested an increase in the meal price, as the current rate of Rs 8 for food is inadequate. They have asked for Rs 16 per meal for typical children and Rs 24 per meal for severely malnourished children. “The government is allocating Rs 8 per child, making it impossible for us to offer quality food given the current food prices. We have long been advocating for an increase, but affluent states seem to neglect the needs of undernourished children,” said Parulekar.
In a letter sent to the state government on December 4, the unions also demanded to revise the wage inflation after every six months as per their earlier discussion with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD).
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