Anganwadi workers of the State launched a statewide protest against Government and authorities for not fulfilling their long pending essential demands.
More than 1,000 anganwadi workers from all the 24 districts of the State gathered near the Governor House on Monday.
The anganwadi workers strike, which has resulted in the closure of approximately 38, 432 anganwadi centres across the state, has severely affected food and preparatory education of children at designated anganwadi centres including distribution of ready to eat meals for pregnant and lactating mothers.
Notably, all anganwadi centres in the state have been closed since March first week.
All anganwadi workers including sevikas have been demanding for job regularisation since long. Increment in their monthly wages, insurance coverage of `five lakhs, recruiting all the contractual workers as permanent employees, increase in number of holidays (presently all anganwadi workers get leave on Sundays including 12 major festivals), ending the ready to eat meal services as there are hardly any takers of it, dissemination of monthly wages among all anganwadi workers in time, facility of maternity leave are few other major demands.
Currently, the anganwadi workers who are lending their services at various centres are paid `3700 per month whereas a sevika gets `1850 on monthly basis. The workers agitating against the state government, considering the increment in all essential commodities are demanding `10, 000 per months for sevika and `20,000 per month for Anganwadi workers.
“Even after the dedicated service, the authorities are hardly concerned about us,” said an Anganwadi Worker, Charubala Devi, who serves at Nawadih Block in Bokaro district which has been severely affected by the strike.
Similarly, Sanjyoti Murmu while narrating her saga and her condition as Sevika, said, “None of us has received any payment of the 2014 increment. We do not get ample amount and therefore unwilling low standard services are provided to kids and other concerned people. For arrangements, we have to spend `50 per day while government just allocates `3.94 per child.”