Shri. Pema Khandu

Honourable Chief Minister

Arunachal Pradesh

 

Dear Sir,

 

Sub:- Additional Remuneration and other demands of Anganwadi

            Workers and Helpers in Arunachal Pradesh

 

We congratulate you for becoming the first ever Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh to declare additional remuneration to the anganwadi workers and helpers in Arunachal Pradesh in this year’s budget.

But at the same time, we are thoroughly disappointed that this long awaited additional honorarium announced in the budget is only Rs.1500 per month which even less than the Rs.2000 additional remuneration declared by your predecessor Late Shri. Kalikho Pul, one year back on 1 May 2016 at a rally organised by the workers. Neither the budget speech has any mention of the arrears since 2016.

 

In the last 42 years, the 12000 anganwadi employees who worked hard facing the adverse geographical situation in the state to make Arunachal Pradesh number one in the country in combating malnutrition were deprived of any additional remuneration from the state, in spite of the direction from the Government of India.

 

You may be aware that all the other states were paying some additional remuneration from the state exchequer and in more than 15 states the anganwadi workers are getting more than Rs 5000 per month remuneration. In Kerala and Telangana the anganwadi workers and helpers are getting Rs.10,000 and Rs.7000 respectively. In many states like Kerala, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra they get pension and ex-gratia. In the north eastern state of Tripura the anganwadi workers and helpers are getting remuneration of Rs.6449 and Rs.3815 per month respectively which will be revised every six months adding the VDA. In Pondicherry, the anganwadi workers and helpers are regularised.

 

AIFAWH and its affiliate All Arunachal Pradesh Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Unions (AAPAWHU) request you to take appropriate measures to increase the remuneration of the anganwadi workers and helpers to at least Rs.10000 and Rs.7000 respectively and issue appropriate orders so that much awaited relief to the workers will be delivered at the earliest.

 

Even the existing remuneration and other benefits are not reaching the anganwadi workers and helpers in the state regularly. We also request you to consider our following demands.

 

Our Demands

 

  1. Implement minimum wage Rs.25000 for anganwadi workers and Rs.18,000 for helpers. Pending that immediately pay additional remuneration to the anganwadi workers and helpers to make it Rs.10,000 and Rs.7000 respectively as paid in Kerala
  2. Immediately implement pension Rs.3000 per month and also an ex-gratia of Rs.5lakhs to the workers and 3 lakhs to the helpers which must be applicable to all retirees with retrospective effect
  3. As next stage, regularise them as grade 3 and grade 4 employees as in Pondicherry.
  4. Pay annual increment to workers and helpers
  5. Paid medical leave for one month as in Punjab
  6. Filling up of all vacancies of ICDS including workers and helpers
  7. 100% reservation for anganwadi workers to the post of supervisors and helpers to the post of workers with no age bar
  8. Provide summer and winter holidays
  9. Ensure good quality supplementary nutrition in anganwadis
  10. Ensure proper infrastructure and other facilities in anganwadi centres
  11. No additional work other than ICDS to the anganwadi workers and helpers
  12. No privatisation of the scheme in any form
  13. Ensure proper implementation of all approved facilities to the anganwadi workers and helpers

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

                                                                                                              A R Sindhu

                                                                                      General Secretary