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Transfers ordered in keeping with MLAs suggestions, says Minister

Special Correspondent

Puducherry: Workers and helpers of anganwadi centres in the Union Territory courted arrest on Tuesday when they took out a procession in a bid to picket the Assembly. They urged the administration to withdraw transfer orders issued by the Department of Women and Child Development. The staff have been on strike since Monday by taking mass casual leave to protest against the “unfair transfers”.

Police prevented them from going ahead with their procession towards the Assembly.

Even some of the agitators were trying to break through the barricades to continue the rally. However, the large contingent of policemen, including the personnel from the India Reserve Battalion, rendered the staff’s resistance futile. All of them were taken into preventive custody.

Meanwhile, Welfare Minister M. Kandasamy told newsmen that there was no question of withdrawing the orders. Mr. Kandasamy said that there was no justification for anganwadi staff to resort to agitations as they were to serve the poor.

The distribution of nutritious food to the pre-school children, pregnant women and lactating mothers did not suffer any setback on Tuesday as the department had made alternative arrangements. Mr. Kandasamy said that the transfers had been done for the first time in more than 25 years of service by most of the staff.

There was sustained suggestions from the MLAs that the staff should be shuffled for improvement in their work. The Minister said that the staff should report for duty, lest the Government would be forced to make alternative arrangements.

The distribution of monthly pension to elderly citizens, widows and destitute women paid through anganwadi centres on 10th of every month was not dislocated, he said. As many as 75,000 persons were covered and the Government was disbursing around Rs. 4.5 crore under the pension scheme. The department staff had been deployed for the disbursement on Tuesday, an official source said.

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