THE All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH), in a statement issued on July 4, has congratulated the Anganwadi workers and helpers all over the country for the successful observance of the All India Demands’ Day on July 4, 2014. Thousands of anganwadi workers from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal observed the Demand’s Day on July 4, 2014 at the call of AIFAWH. In Himachal Pradesh, state level demonstration was held on July 7 and in Tamil Nadu district level demonstrations were held on July 10, 2014. Anganwadi workers and helpers held rallies, demonstrations, dharnas etc at the project/district headquarters and submitted a charter of demands to Maneka Gandhi, union minister for women and child development, on their long pending demands. AIFAWH has given a call to observe July 4 as Demands Day against the ongoing privatisation of the ICDS in the name of ‘ICDS Mission’ and for implementation of the recommendations of the 45th Indian Labour Conference, recognising the scheme workers (including the Anganwadi workers and helpers) as workers, paying them minimum wages and providing pension, and freedom of association. AIFAWH demands that the government must stop any move to privatise the ICDS and immediately implement the recommendations of the 45th ILC on scheme workers. AIFAWH demands that as promised by the BJP manifesto, the Narendra Modi government should “Review the working conditions and enhance the remuneration of anganwadi worker's” in the ensuing annual budget. AIFAWH also demands that as promised by Maneka Gandhi, the government shall stop privatisation of the scheme and come forward and talk to the trade union federations of anganwadi employees on their demands and issues. Rallies Held In Punjab & Chandigarh THE Anganwadi Mulazam Union, Punjab organised rallies and demonstrations at the district headquarters all over the state of Punjab and U T Chandigarh at the national call of the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, on July 4. Later, it sent a memorandum of the demands to the prime minister of India, minister for women and children development and the chief minister of Punjab demanding universalisation and regularisation of the ICDS and to convert ICDS into a government department under the ministry of human resource development ; to regularize the services of anganwadi workers and helpers by giving the status and pay scales of grade III & IV government employees respectively; to build pucca buildings for all anganwadi centres and to provide facilities of safe drinking water , toilets, bathrooms , first aid and toys for children. These rallies were addressed by Usha Rani, president, Harjeet Kaur, general secretary, Subhash Rani, treasurer and Dharamjit Kaur, chairperson of Anganwadi Mulazam Union, Punjab and other leaders from the CITU – Raghunath Singh, general secretary, Chander Shekhar, vice president, Jatinder Pal Singh, secretary, Tarsem Jodhan, Tarlochan Singh Rajpura, Mohinder Kumar Badhoan, including several other state working committee members of the CITU. On this occasion effigies of Lok Sabha MP from Trinamool Congress, Tapas Pal who threatened publicly to rape women belonging to the families of the CPI(M) and to shoot the CPI(M) workers, were burnt with the demand to take immediate and effective action against the MP who has no respect for Indian constitution and for women. The speakers also condemned Mamata Banerjee who gave a clean chit to such an MP and condemned the deteriorating law and order situation in West Bengal under the Mamata government since it came to power in West Bengal. Protest in J&K in Support of Demands THE Jammu and Kashmir Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union (AWHU) held a protest demonstration on July 7 at Sher-i-Kashmir Park in Srinagar. The protesting workers and helpers were demanding gratuity, the formulation of a pension scheme, immediate enhancement of their remuneration and withdrawal of the plan to privatise ICDS. The protestors carrying banners and placards shouted slogans and demanded regularisation of their services as Class III and Class IV employees and the fixation of their salary accordingly. Pending this decision, the government should increase their honorarium to Rs 5000 and 4000 respectively, the protesters urged. They also demanded linking of their remuneration with consumer price index and 10% annual increment. Release of training grants in favour of the workers and helpers without any delay and providing of TA, DA for attending different meetings in connection with Pulse Polio, Aids Awareness and other related programmes was also highlighted. The protestors also demanded considerable enhancement in the rent and fuel charges for the anganwadi centres. Speaking on the occasion, Mymoona Rashid, acting state president and Jameela Sabiri, general secretary of AWHU, said that the grass root workers of the ICDS should be entitled to decent living. They demanded framing of a standing mechanism in the ministry of women and child development for the revision in the rates of honorarium of anganwadi workers and helpers. They urged upon the government to make anganwadis as nodal centers for imparting pre-school education to the children between the age group of 3-6. Quality food which is freshly prepared, educational toys and playing equipment should be provided to the centres so that they become attractive and acceptable for the parents. Hassena Sofi, Supinder Kour and Fahmeeda Banoo also spoke on the occasion. They demanded that minimum wages of skilled workers should be paid to anganwadi workers and that of semi skilled workers to helpers. Remuneration of anganwadi employees should be linked up with consumer price index and 10% annual increment should be given to both anganwadi workers and helpers, they added. Addressing the demonstration, Ab Gani Bhat, CITU vice-president, expressed his concern over the plight of the working classes, who, he emphasised, have been adversely hit by the sky rocketing prices of essential commodities and the neo-liberal economic policies pursued by the government. The CITU leader said that the failure of the government in extending social security benefits to the workers in the ICDS sector, violation of labour laws, non-implementation of minimum wages act; extensive contractualisation of workforce, attack on trade union rights have proved detrimental to the interests of the anganwadi worker and helpers. Demanding enhancement of state share in the honorarium of anganwadi workers and helpers on the pattern of Haryana government, Bhat said, social security benefits including gratuity, pension, provident fund, medical facilities etc should be provided to all anganwadi workers and helpers in J&K also. He further demanded constitution of national level welfare fund for the anganwadi employees with contribution from the central and the state governments. Abdul Rashid Najar, CITU secretary, called upon all the workforce of the state to come on a common platform and intensify the struggle against the anti-worker policies of the government. He said that privatisation in the form of restructuring of Integrated Child Development Services be stopped forthwith and instead all anganwadi workers be regularised as Class III and helpers as Grade IV government employees.