PNS | DEHRADUN
The State Women Empowerment and Child Development (WECD) minister Rekha Arya said on Wednesday that the State government is preparing to provide pensions to Anganwadi workers and assistants upon their retirement. She said she had directed the officials concerned to draft a proposal for this initiative during a meeting held on Wednesday.
“Currently, about 40,000 Anganwadi workers and assistants are employed in the State with ongoing appointments for additional positions. The government has already offered an increased honorarium to these workers and assistants and is now focusing on providing pensions to ensure their social and economic security after retirement. With the State preparing to celebrate its silver jubilee year, this initiative will be a significant step toward empowering women,” she added.
During the meeting, the officials presented three potential formats for implementing this pension scheme, one of which will be sent for the Cabinet’s approval.
The WECD minister also provided updates on the recruitment process for 7,038 Anganwadi workers and assistants in the rural areas, stating that over 20,000 women have applied within the first six days of the application period which remains open until January 31. It is anticipated that the total number of applicants may reach up to 1, 00,000.
Additionally, a review of the progress of various other schemes, including the Mahila Sarathi Yojana and the Anganwadi Kalyan Kosh, figured at the meeting.
Further, Arya said that the deadline for applying to the Nanda Gaura Yojana (NGY) in the State has been extended to January 15. Originally, the application period ended in December; however, due to the demand from various districts, she had instructed the officials in a recent meeting to reopen the application process for one more week. So far, more than 36,000 applications have been received for the NGY, she stated.
