Anganwadi Workers Protest Outside Punjab CM's Residence, Demand Release Of Pending Honorarium

Over this year, several Anganwadi workers have staged protests in Delhi and Punjab, demanding better working conditions, better facilities, higher salaries, and the release of their pending honorarium. While their demands have been falling on deaf ears, the police administration has not been very cooperative towards them.

Hundreds of workers, on Monday, got into a scuffle with the Punjab Police while protesting outside the residence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The workers, part of the Anganwadi Worker Union Punjab, have been demanding the disbursement of their pending honorarium.

Honorarium Pending Since Six Months

The protesting Anganwadi workers are paid a monthly honorarium of ₹ 9,500 for providing basic health care under the Poshan Abhiyan scheme launched in March 2018 and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana launched in 2017. They carry out tasks like primary health check-ups, immunisation, supplying nutrition to those in need, and educating people – especially women – about health and family planning. Moreover, they are also in charge of conducting preschool activities at the regional Anganwadi centres.

Usha Rani, president of the Anganwadi Union, shared with Hindustan Times that the workers have been waiting for the pending honorarium for the last six months. Besides, the government is using them for work which is not a part of their contractual duties, thus exploiting their labour. For several workers, especially women and the differently-abled, the monthly honorarium is their only source of income.

Unfulfilled Promises

Ahead of the Punjab assembly elections that were held earlier this year, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had promised the anganwadi workers that their demands would be fulfilled once elected to power. AAP members had even participated in some of the protests that were held in the state.

Rani said, "But now, they have the same approach towards us as the previous governments. Therefore, all anganwadi workers from Punjab have gathered here."

Last month, thousands of anganwadi workers in Ludhiana launched a protest across 23 districts, with the primary protest staged outside the mini secretariat. Subhash Rani, the general secretary of the Punjab Anganwadi Workers Union, had stated that they submitted a letter to the district administration to release the pending honorarium. However, there has been no update about the response to this letter yet.

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