Anganwadi workers ask for immediate fulfilment of DMK’s election promises

The members of Tamil Nadu Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association staged a protest in Ramanathapuram on Tuesday, urging the fulfilment of promises made by the Chief Minister during the election campaign.

Its State secretary, K. Malliga, said that despite the Anganwadi workers taking on all sorts of work in addition to the work allotted to them, they were still not being considered for receiving any of the benefits accorded to government staff.

During the protest, they raised demands for appointment of nutritious meal workers as full time government employees, integration of breakfast scheme with noon meal scheme by implementing it through existing nutritious meal workers.

Other demands included promotion of nutrition meal employees based on their educational qualification and seniority, provision of 12 months maternity leave for pregnant women on par with other government employees, and a monthly pension of ₹9,000.

Ms. Malliga stated that, though they were promised by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin during the election campaign that the Anganwadi workers’ demands would be taken care of within months of assuming power, they still have not received any of the relief mentioned in the election promises.

Members of Tamil Nadu Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association staged a picketing agitation on National Highway in front of the Collectorate on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
L. BALACHANDAR

As most of the Anganwadi workers in the State were single women raising their children and taking care of their parents alone, they spend their entire day in the Anganwadi workers for a mere wage of only ₹3,000 to ₹4,000, she alleged.

Though they would not mind working for the children and serving them for their welfare, the poor pay they were being given often discouraged them from putting more effort in their work, she said.

Ms. Malliga emphasised that granting ‘government employee’ status is the only way to ensure their demands for a regular timescale pay and service benefits are met legally and systematically.

Until such regularisation occurs, she urged the government to provide immediate relief by granting retiring workers a monthly pension of ₹9,000 as a safeguard for their financial future.

She warned that if their demands were not fulfilled within the next two weeks starting from January 27, they would stage an indefinite protest throughout the State.

More than 1,314 protesters were detained by the police and later released in the evening.

Similar protests were carried out by Angwanwadi workers in Sivaganga, Dindigul and Theni districts.