Karnataka - Madikeri   

Anganwadi workers to stage dharna tomorrow

By Our Staff Correspondent

MADIKERI, JULY 14. The Kodagu District Anganwadi Workers and Assistants' Association will stage a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office here on Friday demanding the withdrawal of the Government Order dated April 26 bringing anganwadi centres under the purview of gram panchayats.

T.P. Ramesh, vice-president of the Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Assistants' Association, told presspersons here that a decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the office-bearers of the federation on Wednesday as the deadline set to the Government to revoke the order expired on Tuesday.

Listing the demands of the anganwadi workers and assistants, he said that they should be allowed to continue in service under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) of the Government.

Anganwadi centres were now under the control of the Women and Child Welfare Department, he noted and said that bringing them under the gram panchayats would pave the way for dual control and harassment of the workers by the members of the gram panchayats.

Mr. Ramesh refuted the statements made by an official of the Department of Women and Child Welfare at a meeting on Tuesday that monthly reports of the department could not be submitted to the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat as the anganwadi workers were on strike. The workers had submitted reports till May, he said and appealed to the elected representatives in the district to take note of the issue and pursue it with the Government.

The district administration should declare monsoon holidays for all anganwadi centres in the district, Mr. Ramesh said. He demanded that senior local workers be preferred for appointments in the villages of their choice as stipulated by the Government.

He noted that this direction was being violated in certain cases by bringing political pressure on officials. He also demanded that the Government take steps to implement the Rs. 450 increase in the honorarium to the workers.

Mr. Ramesh noted that there were over 1,200 anganwadi workers and assistants in the district. While the workers got Rs. 1,063 a month as honorarium, the assistants got Rs. 500, he said.

Jayalakshmi, president of the association, observed that bringing anganwadi centres under the gram panchayats would make way for the exploitation of the workers and assistants. The anganwadi workers would take out a procession from Gandhi Maidan to the Deputy Commissioner's office, she said.

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