Forcing it to announce an increase in remuneration of anganwadi workers by Rs.1500 per month, mini anganwadi workers by Rs.1250 per month and helpers by Rs.750 per month
Result of Consistent struggles including the Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh rally on 5th September 2018
Demands IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 45TH INDIAN LABOUR CONFERENCE DECISIONS on Scheme workers – Minimum wages Rs.18000 pm, pension and social security and recognition as workers
Withdraw the Decision on Direct Benefit Transfer in ICDS and Exclusion of Beneficiaries in the Name of the Linking of Aadhar
All India federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) congratulates anganwadi workers and helpers all over the country for forcing the Modi government to announce an increase in remuneration of anganwadi workers and helpers on the eve of the assembly elections in five states and also ahead of the next parliament election. This is the result of consistent struggles by the anganwadi employees for the last four years on their long pending demands under the leadership of AIFAWH and also under the joint platform of Central trade unions including the Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh rally on 5th September 2018 in which nearly fifty thousand anganwadi workers and helpers participated. AIFAWH had collected nearly three crore signatures from beneficiaries on these long pending demands.
The Prime Minister announced an increase in remuneration of anganwadi workers by Rs.1500 per month, mini anganwadi workers by Rs.1250 per month and workers Rs.750 per month making it Rs.4500 pm, Rs.3500 pm and Rs.2250 pm respectively. Considering the anti labour policies of the government, this is a great achievement of the worker’s struggles.
It is to be noted that as per the current fund sharing patterns in ICDS (60:40), the actual amount the government of India will be paying is Rs.900pm, Rs.750 and Rs.450 respectively. The other announcements made by the Prime Minister are nothing but various existing government schemes. But the basic questions of making the scheme permanent to ensure the right of every child and mother to food, health and education and the right of the workers for minimum wages and pension are not been addressed. Modi has not made it clear that how much additional funds he is going to allocate to ICDS.
Modi Government, which is now pretending to be the champion of combating nutrition has been continuously cutting down the budget allocation for ICDS. Even today, in most of the states the wages of anganwadi workers and helpers are pending and the nutrition supply is stopped for last 3-6 months due to the lack of funds. We reiterate our resolve to fight against the policies of Modi government winding up and privatising the schemes providing basic services to the people.
AIFAWH is proud that we could advance our struggles to make some achievements through consistent struggles by mobilising the workers and also the public. In the last three years (2016-2018), our struggles could make every state government and now the government of India also to increase the wages of anganwadi workers and helpers. We are sure that this will give more confidence not only to the anganwadi employees in their struggle for achieving the demands but also to the struggles of all working people- workers, agricultural workers and peasantry. We call upon the anganwadi workers and helpers throughout the country to be prepared for more militant struggles for our basic rights in the coming days including the two days general strike as announced by the central trade unions.
Issued by (A R Sindhu)
General Secretary
