On September 28, Anganwadi workers and their assistants in Mangaluru plan a march that will begin at 9 a.m. from Jyothi Circle and end at the Mini Vidhana Soudha, where they will hold a protest meeting.
Tara Ballal, president of the D.K. District Anganwadi Workers and Assistants Association, announced the schedule at a press conference in the Mangaluru Press Club on Saturday. She listed a series of demands that include regular payment of the honorarium by the 5th of each month, implementation of minimum wages, and provision of employee state insurance or health coverage.
Current honorarium figures remain low: workers receive Rs. 12,000 and assistants Rs. 6,000, paid only once every two or three months. Officials often cite lack of budget for delayed payments. Ballal also highlighted that the government reimburses egg allowances at Rs. 6 per egg, while market prices range between Rs. 8 and Rs. 9, forcing workers' to cover the shortfall themselves.
Additional requests call for a monthly miscellaneous allowance of Rs. 500 for essential items, gratuity for retirees since 2011, and high‑quality 5G smartphones for the Poshan Tracker, with a strict ban on non‑departmental use. A dearness allowance of Rs. 250 for attending meetings and compensation for workers diverted to SIR duties were also mentioned.
Since the Anganwadi system was introduced five decades ago, workers have continued to receive only a modest honorarium despite expanding responsibilities. Over the years, the number of beneficiaries has grown, yet funding mechanisms have not kept pace, prompting repeated appeals to the state government.
Several Anganwadi centres operate without assistants, and the extra SIR workload hampers their regular functions. The association warned that any misuse of the newly requested smartphones for unrelated programmes will trigger immediate demonstrations outside the offices of senior officials.
The association’s secretary, Ashalatha M
Image: varthabharati.in
📰 Source: Vartha Bharati DK