In Odisha, anganwadi workers have staged an indefinite dharna, and 60,000 centres have been closed.
Closing almost 60,000 Anganwadi centres across Odisha, Anganwadi workers staged an indefinite dharna on Tuesday, demanding government employee status and a raise in salary. Anganwadi workers from throughout the state demonstrated in Bhubaneswar on Monday, launching a dharna near the state Assembly building ahead of the Assembly’s winter session.
Anganwadi workers are demanding that they be given the status of government employees, as well as a monthly salary of Rs 18,000 for Anganwadi workers and Rs 9,000 for their assistants.
Furthermore, our demand for a Rs 5,000 pension must be met. Our strike will not end unless our demands are granted, said Sumitra Mohapatra, president of All Odisha Anganwadi Lady Workers.
Their demand also includes Rs 5 lakh in compensation for the family of an Anganwadi worker who dies while on the job.
According to Jhunupama Satpathy, secretary of the All Odisha Anganwadi Ladies Workers Association: “The second day has arrived. After a big demonstration of 50,000 female anganwadi workers on Monday, we are now sitting on an indefinite dharna. Today, over 500 ladies sat in dharna. Our counterparts in all 314 blocks are staging agitation near Block offices as well.”
They claimed that the state government’s flagship programmes, such as Mamata Yojana and Harischandra Yojana, were effective because of Anganwadi workers, but that their requests had gone unfulfilled.
Despite working around the clock, anganwadi employees get paid Rs 7,500 per month, according to Mohapatra.
Anjali Patel, the organising secretary of Akil Bharatiya Anganwadi Mahasangha, stated: “In support of our demands, we have submitted approximately 100 letters to the state government. The administration, however, did not respond to such letters. Instead, the government humiliated us and increased our burden. We finally went on strike after giving the government 15 days’ notice.”
Basanti Hembram, Minister of Women and Child Development, stated that the state administration was sympathetic to Anganwadi staff.
They are compensated on a shared basis by the Centre and the state. The Odisha government would make a decision on the current demands soon, according to the minister.