PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / Dehradun
Anganwadi workers have expressed their disagreement with a recent decision by the State government, which states that retirees will receive only Rs one lakh, along with a contribution of Rs 300 from each Anganwadi worker in the State. They claimed that this decision is unfair to Anganwadi workers. Women Empowerment and Child Development minister Rekha Arya recently said that Anganwadi workers currently receive between Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 upon retirement and that the department has been trying to increase this amount for a long time. In view of this, it was decided that starting from the new financial year, Anganwadi workers will receive a minimum retirement assistance of Rs one lakh. Under this, workers will have to contribute Rs 300 per month, which Anganwadi organisations have already agreed to.
The president of the Anganwadi Workers Association, Rekha Negi, stated that the recent announcement from the State government is not in favour of the workers.
Negi said that the State government had previously proposed a system where Rs 100 would be deducted from each worker’s salary each month, with the government matching this contribution. The goal was to ensure that workers receive a substantial retirement sum, preventing them from facing financial difficulty in old age. Although Rs 100 has been deducted every month according to this initiative, the workers feel dissatisfied because the total amount accumulated by retirement remains insufficient, she said.
She further informed that earlier in a meeting with representatives from the Women Empowerment and Child Development (WECD) department, officials proposed raising the monthly deduction from Rs 100 to Rs 300. However, this was earlier rejected by them along with a letter submitted opposing the new proposal. Negi stated that with the said announcement of an increase in retirement amount and deduction of Rs 300, the government is forcibly imposing this deduction on Anganwadi workers despite their earlier rejection of the proposal. “Firstly, our honorarium is already too low and secondly, the Rs 100 is already being deducted from our salaries,” she said.
“We have been demanding Rs 10 lakh from the government for our Rs 100 contributions, yet the government offers us only Rs one lakh while suggesting an increase in deductions to Rs 300,” she said.
Negi emphasised their rejection of this decision and urged the chief minister to increase the retirement amount for Anganwadi workers to Rs 10 lakh. She warned that if this demand is not met, they will refuse to deduct the Rs 300 at all, potentially leading to a violent protest. “The responsibility will solely lie with the government,” she stated.
