UP: Anganwadi Workers Threaten Statewide Protests over Promised Allowances

Lucknow: Accusing the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government of misleading Anganwadi workers, the Anganwadi Karamchari Union in the state has threatened a state-wide protest if the state government fails to increase the allowance of the workers soon. It was a promise made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its ‘Sankalp Patra’ before the elections.

The union alleged that despite the BJP’s election manifesto in 2017 promising to improve their work conditions and increasing remuneration for Anganwadi workers within 120 days, no work has happened in this regard over the four-and-a-half year of the tenure of the Yogi Adityanath government. The union has warned that it will hit the road and halt work if the government does not fulfil its promise of providing respectable honorarium.

“In the 2017 polls the BJP had promised it would form a committee that would submit a report on the workers within 120 days if it came to power. The honorarium was supposed increase, according to that report, but it proved to be mere lip service. In fact, instead of increasing salaries or improving work conditions, the government forced nearly 60 thousand Anganwadi workers above the age of 62 years into retirement without any notice,” Veena Gupta, president of the state’s Anganwadi Karamchari Union (AKU) told Newsclick.

Narrating the ordeal of Anganwadi workers in the state, the union president said: “Let alone the fact that the government has not fulfilled its promise, Anganwadi workers are being removed from their posts without any prior notice. They come to know of this when they ask why their salaries have been pending for four to five months. It is an utter shame and inhuman that the district officers take work from workers and don’t inform them that they were removed. When they approach officials they get to know they are no longer in duty,” she added.

When asked about the government Budget, which claimed that an increased honorarium would be paid to Anganwadi workers, she said the government had increased the budget but did not increase the monthly honorarium. She said it was neither mentioned in the speech made by UP Minister for Finance Suresh Khanna.

Anganwadi workers have been pressing for a salary hike since long. They have even held several demonstrations and sit-in protests but their words have fallen on deaf ears. They have tried to approach the CM on numerous occasions but in vain.

“The matter needs to be taken up seriously, as it is directly linked to laks of women and their families. There are nearly 3.5 lakh Anganwadi workers, mini Anganwadi workers and assistants in the state. They receive a monthly honorarium – Rs 5,500 to Anganwadi workers, Rs 4,500 to mini Anganwadi workers. The honorarium given by the UP government is less than that given by neighbouring states like Haryana and Punjab,” they said.

Feeling ‘cheated’ by the government, another anganwadi worker said: “During the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, Anganwadi workers worked with full zeal and spirit to control the spread of the pandemic, putting their lives at risk. Even to avoid a possible third wave, Anganwadi workers are screening people door-to-door, medicines and kit are being distributed by them. Yet they have been treated like third class citizens. Our basic demands are not being entertained despite our hard work,” she said.