Ludhiana: Anganwadi workers protest outside Bittu’s residence

Protesting anganwadi workers from 16 blocks of Ludhiana said that since 2014, the central government has significantly reduced fund allocation towards the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) under which they are temporarily employed

Criticising the Union government over delay in issuing monthly honorarium for the seventh consecutive month, members of Anganwadi Workers Union (CITU) staged a protest outside the residence of member of Parliament Ravneet Bittu on Friday.

Anganwadi workers raising slogans against the BJP government during the protest outside the MP Ravneet Bittu’s residence, in Ludhiana. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Protesting workers from 16 blocks of the district said that since 2014, the central government has significantly reduced fund allocation towards the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) under which they are temporarily employed. They added that the government has also failed to implement various schemes including Poshan Abhiyan and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.

The union members also submitted a memorandum with Bittu, who assured that their demands will be taken up in the upcoming Lok Sabha session .

Bittu said anganwadi workers have been instrumental in implementing a host of welfare schemes of the state and union governments. He added that during the Congress’s previous tenure, the state government had raised the honorarium of workers, and the present government should do the same.

Subhash Rani, president of the union, said that the union had submitted a memorandum with Bittu earlier as well, but their demands were not taken up. She said that the state and union governments contribute ₹5,000 and ₹4,500, respectively, towards the honorarium of anganwadi workers, but the Union government has not issued its share for the last seven months.

She added that as per the New Education Policy, anganwadis are supposed to play an important role in providing basic nutrition, non-formal education and ensuring the health of the children.

Bhinder Kaur, general secretary of the union, said the state government is attempting to shut down anganwadis, which provide supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, nutrition and health education, immunisation, health check-ups, and referral services to children aged 0-6, by linking pre-primary education with schools.

Kaur pointed out that the services of anganwadi workers were praised by the Prime Minister during the Covid pandemic, but their grievances have not been addressed.