Report of the correspondent of Mazdoor Ekta Committee
On 13 February 2025, Anganwadi workers and helpers held a country-wide conference at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi on the themes – ‘Give legal rights to Anganwadi workers and helpers!’, ‘Raise the quality of ICDS and make it permanent!’
This conference was organized under the banner of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers.
Thousands of Anganwadi workers and helpers participated in the conference with great enthusiasm. Delegations from several states like Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Odisha, etc. participated in it.
There are 13,90,000 Anganwadi centres across the country, in which about 26 lakh Anganwadi workers and helpers work. About 3,77,000 Anganwadi centres are being operated out of rented premises. More than 3,38,000 Anganwadi centres lack clean drinking water. 4,61,000 centres do not have toilet facilities. On the other hand, the central and state governments have been claiming to make India free from malnutrition and illiteracy through Anganwadi centres. How will this dream come true, if there is no drinking water, toilet and electricity in lakhs of Anganwadi centres?
The speakers said that the workers and helpers of Anganwadi centres have to do regular and fixed work. Besides this, they are also assigned the work of collecting data for census, counting cattle and conducting surveys etc.
Further, they are forced to reach the programs of ministers or MLAs without uniforms along with 10-10 women to increase the crowd. If an Anganwadi worker expresses her inability to do so, she is threatened with dismissal from work.
It was emphasized in the conference that Anganwadi workers and helpers work as much as any other government employee. They should be given the legal status of workers, regularized and given equal wage for equal work.
A resolution was taken to run a nationwide campaign throughout the year with the following demands.
- Anganwadi workers should be given a minimum wage of Rs. 32,000 and helpers Rs. 26,000 per month. They should be provided social security – ESI, PF gratuity and pension after retirement.
- A law should be made to ensure the right to early childhood care, education and development for children below 6 years of age. Anganwadi centres should be made the nodal agency.
- Adequate financial allocation should be made to institutionalize ICDS (Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0) and proper infrastructure and necessary human resources should be provided in the form of Anganwadi cum Creche under ECCE (Early Childhood Care and Education) Act.
- There should be no corporate participation in ICDS in the name of Corporate Social Responsibility. ICDS should not be privatized by starting centralized kitchens. All measures that weaken the ICDS should be withdrawn.
- All the four labour codes should be withdrawn.