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Anganwadi staff continue strike

Special Correspondent

Delegation meets Chief Minister and wants tranfer orders rescinded

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

TAXING WAIT: An exhausted old woman lying on the floor awaiting disbursement of monthly pension at an anganwadi centre in Puducherry on Wednesday.

Puducherry: Anganwadi staff in the Union Territory staged a dharna outside the Assembly here on Wednesday on the third day of their strike protesting against the ‘unfair transfer orders”. A delegation of the Association of Angwandi Workers and Helpers including S. Tilagam (secretary) and V.Tamilarasi (treasurer), along with functionaries of the Confederation of the Government Employees Associations C.H. Balamohanan and R. Anandarajan, held discussions with Chief Minister N. Rangasamy later in a bid to have the transfer orders revoked.

Mr. Anandarajan told newsmen that the Chief Minister had assured the delegation that he would talk to Welfare Minister M. Kandasamy on Thursday. The delegation would meet Mr. Rangasamy again later on Thursday.

A spokesman of the confederation disputed the claim of the authorities that work in the anganwadi centres was not affected. There was setback in distribution of the monthly assistance to the aged and other targeted sections.

He said that none of the benefits of welfare schemes had reached the targeted sections.

The anganwadi staff would brush aside the transfer orders and would report for duty at the centres where they were already working. If they were prevented, they would take next course of action.

The confederation also appealed to Lt. Governor Mukut Mithi to find an amicable settlement of their demands. Transfers should be done only through counselling and should not be imposed on the staff.

Meanwhile, Welfare Minister M. Kandasamy told a hurriedly convened press conference at his chamber here on Wednesday that there was ‘no justification” for the staff to continue their strike, and they should return to duty as per the orders of transfer.

Should they continue to abstain from work, the Government would make recruitment of staff through Employment Exchange on Monday.

Mr. Kandasamy said any of the staff need not go beyond a maximum of 5 km of distance to reach the new centre. Claiming that there was no dislocation of the work in any of the anganwadi centres and in distribution of monthly pension to the aged and physically challenged persons,

Mr. Kandasamy said that the department staff were deployed for distribution of assistance. He said he had also held talks with the Chief Secretary and other officials concerned regarding the implementation of the schemes through the anganwadi centres.

There are 522 anganwadi centres in Puducherry and each of these centres has one worker and one helper.

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