Anganwadi workers protest, demand increase in salaries

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 17

Members of the All Punjab Anganwadi Workers’ Union submitted a memorandum of demands to the Deputy Commissioner, demanding an increase in salaries and other allowances for anganwadi workers.

The state government’s decision to increase the salaries of MLAs did not go down well with anganwadi workers who had demanded an increase in their salaries.

Hargobind Kaur, state president of the union, said, “If the state government has proposed to increase the salaries of MLAs by approximately 125 per cent then they must increase anganwadi workers’ salaries 2.5 times (of the current salary). On similar lines of neighbouring state Haryana, the state government must provide an honorarium of Rs 10,000 to angawandi workers and Rs 5,000 to anganwadi helpers every month.”

Hargobind Kaur said, “We have submitted a memorandum of demands, addressed to the Chief Minister, to the Deputy Commissioner. The indifferent attitude of the government would not be tolerated anymore. We would be left with no alternative but to intensify our struggle if the state government does not fulfil our demands.”

The union members said owing to inflation the prices of essential commodities and services had gone through the roof and the honorarium paid by the government was quite low. They rued that the state government was increasing the salaries of MLAs who are already drawing over Rs 1 lakh. The representatives of the union said that if the state government did not relent and fulfill their demands then they would be forced to intensify their stir in the future.