PNS | DEHRADUN
Anganwadi workers across the State have decided to present a letter to the Election Commission of India expressing their intention to step down from their positions as booth level officers. Stating this, the president of the Anganwadi Workers Association Rekha Negi said that she had recently submitted a preliminary letter to the ECI, highlighting the State government’s decision to assign the responsibility of BLO to all anganwadi workers in Uttarakhand. “We are engaged in Women’s Empowerment and Child Development (WECD) related works. This is challenging work by itself. If the task of overseeing elections is added to our present workload we may do justice to none. We are required to dedicate six hours a day to the WECD work,” she said.
She further said that they are punished by a cut in their honorarium by the department if they inadvertently err in their work. “This is not just. Still, we try to give our maximum output in the larger interest of the society. But foisting additional poll duty on us will definitely impact our efficiency and output. So, we have collectively decided to submit a written resignation on October 3. Subsequently, no Anganwadi worker will be available to serve as a BLO,” she said.
To recall, Anganwadi workers have been in an agitation mode for a long time with their demand for adequate retirement benefits and wage hike. Currently, these workers receive a retirement amount of Rs 30,000 in the State while they demand it to be raised to Rs 10 lakh. Additionally, they have been consistently demanding higher monthly wages, suggesting an increase to Rs 18,000 per month. They are aggrieved with the officials choosing to sit on their long-term demands.
