Karnataka - Belgaum   

Anganwadi workers stage protest

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELGAUM, JULY 8. Hundreds of anganwadi workers from the 10 taluks in the district took out a rally here on Thursday demanding that the Government repeal an order bringing anganwadi centres under the control of gram panchayats.

The rally was organised by the Karnataka Rajya Anganwadi Naukarara Sangha district unit and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions.

The protesters, led by Sujata Belgaumkar and Annapurna Divangmath, conveners of the sangha, shouted slogans against the Government. The rally ended at the Deputy Commissioner's office where a memorandum was submitted to the Government.

Addressing the protesters, the leaders of the sangha noted that the anganwadi workers were discharging their duties in a responsible manner ever since the Comprehensive Child Development Programme came into effect in 1975.

The Supreme Court had also called for the strengthening of the anganwadi centres.

This apart, the workers had been demanding that their services be regularised for the past 29 years. But nothing had been done in this regard, they said.

Instead of responding to the problems of the anganwadi centres, the Government issued an order in May bringing them under the gram panchayats, the speakers said.

The sangha would oppose this decision, they added.

Describing the order as undemocratic, they pointed out that the move would not solve any of the problems faced by the anganwadi centres but would only give rise to fresh ones.

They said that the decision would increase political interference in the day-to-day functioning of the anganwadi centres.

The delay in the payment of honorarium to the anganwadi workers had compounded their problems, the speakers said and added that in Bangalore Rural district, there had been instances where the Government had released honorarium after seven months.

The protesters demanded that the Government Order be withdrawn immediately.

The Government should ensure that the workers got their honorarium by the fifth of every month, they said.

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