Happy for being awarded, but need permanent job, hike in honorarium: Award-wining anganwadi workers

A number of anganwadi workers who were honoured by Union Minister Maneka Gandhi here on Monday for their exemplary work, said they were happy for being awarded, but just recognition was not enough and demanded a permanent job and at least Rs 18,000 honorarium.

They said though Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in September last year announced a Rs 1,500 hike in their honorarium, they are yet to get the increased emoluments.

Meena Verma, a 52-year-old mother of two from Chhattisgarh's Durg, said she started as an anganwadi worker in 1997, but still doesn't have a "permanent job".

"We provide basic healthcare for the mother and child. We ensure antenatal and postnatal care for pregnant women. We administer vaccines to children, conduct surveys and are also deployed on election duty. We have given our entire lives to anganwadi. Still, we get paid a paltry sum," she said.

Verma, whose husband is a daily wager, says her family falls under the below poverty line category and it is difficult to survive on an honorarium of Rs 5,000 let alone educate her two children.

"Our demand is 'kaam ke hissab se daam' (remuneration in accordance to work done)... at least Rs 18,000 honorarium and regularisation of service. I am happy for the award but survival comes first," she said.

Jabeen Akhtar (29), an anganwadi worker from Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district who was felicitated at the event, said, "We toil at the ground level and ensure that the government's programmes become successful. Yet we are paid a meagre amount."