Delhi Rally Of Anganwadi Workers And Helpers
Forty Lakh Signatures Collected against Scanty Budget for ICDS
HUNDREDS of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers from all over the country under the leadership of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH), marched to the parliament on February 25 protesting against the inadequate budget allocation for implementation of increased remuneration, and against the introduction of direct cash transfer in the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
The AIFAWH collected more than forty lakh signatures from anganwadi employees and beneficiaries on a memorandum seeking strengthening of the ICDS, for the right to minimum wages and pension for the workers and helpers, and against the direct cash transfer in ICDS.
The march started from Mandi House in New Delhi and was led by Tapan Sen, general secretary of CITU, K Hemalata, president of CITU, AIFAWH leadership including A R Sindhu, Usha Rani, Anju Maini and various state leaders. About a 100 red volunteers, with the bundles of signatures marched in the rally and more than 5,000 anganwadi workers and helpers from 14 states including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal marched behind the red volunteers shouting anti-Modi slogans.
The public meeting held at Janatar Mantar was inaugurated by Tapan Sen. The meeting was presided by Usha Rani and was addressed by K Hemalata, A R Sindhu, Veena Gupta and various state leaders.
A delegation consisting of A R Sindhu, Usha Rani, Kailash and Shakuntala, met the secretary, Women and Child Development and submitted the signatures collected on the demands of strengthening the ICDS and improving the working conditions of anganwadi workers and helpers, to the ministry.
Along with the long pending basic demands of regularisation, minimum wage of Rs 18,000 per month and pension of Rs 6,000 per month, immediate issues of introduction of direct cash transfer in ICDS, non-implementation of the existing benefits for both workers and beneficiaries etc were raised.
The announcement of increase in remuneration with much fanfare by the prime minister is yet to be implemented in most parts of the country. Moreover, the amount allocated to ICDS in the interim budget is not adequate to cover the cost of additional remuneration.
The protest march declared that it will take the issues of institutionalisation of ICDS with full facilities as the right of the children for food, health and education. It also concerns the rights of the workers for minimum wages and pension and will work for a change in the anti-people policies. The AIFAWH vowed to ensure the defeat of the communal, anti-ICDS, anti-labour BJP government in the coming parliament elections.
The working committee of AIFAWH held immediately after the march decided to distribute 20 lakh leaflets among the anganwadi workers and helpers and one crore leaflets among the beneficiaries on the impact of the policies of the BJP government and the need to defeat this government in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
