PM Modi on her turf, Mamata Banerjee hikes salary of Bengal Anganwadi, Asha workers
Mamata Banerjee said monthly remuneration of Anganwadi and Asha workers has been increased from ₹8,250 to ₹9,000 - a hike of ₹750.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hiked the salaries of Anganwadi and Asha workers beginning this April. Mamata Banerjee's major announcement comes even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone and inaugurated several projects in Kolkata ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Mamata Banerjee said the monthly remuneration of Anganwadi and Asha workers has been increased from ₹8,250 to ₹9,000 - a hike of ₹750. The chief minister has also announced a hike of ₹500 per month in the salaries of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) workers. They used to get ₹6,000 per month previously, and with this raise, it will increase to ₹6,500.
Mamata Banerjee said the Asha and Anganwadi workers are “our pride”.
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“The Asha and Anganwadi workers are our pride as they work very hard. They support us in all the bad times. I wish they do well in life. Maa Maati Maanush government shall always be with the people,” the Trinamool Congress supremo said.
The Bengal CM also made the announcement on X (formerly Twitter) saying, “Despite the financial constraints imposed on us, we are determined to spare no efforts in ensuring that our people lead happy and prosperous lives!”
Anganwadi services are a centrally sponsored scheme and fall under the ambit of the state government and Union territory administration. Recently, the Odisha and Kerala governments also increased the remuneration for Anganwadi workers.
The announcement came on a day when Modi inaugurated various Metro projects, including the unveiling of the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro's East-West underwater corridor. He also flagged off other train services - focusing on enhancing avenues for ensuring ease of urban mobility. These included - the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and the Taratala-Majerhat Metro sections.
(With inputs from agencies)