Several women activists today staged a protest outside the Ministry of Labour and Employment here to demand recognition of those working under Anganwadi and ASHA schemes as employees instead of volunteers.
Members of National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) demanded that Anganwadi workers and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) should be paid minimum wages and get social security benefits like pension and gratuity.
The ministry had recently rejected a recommendation by the Indian Labour Conference to accept them as workers, saying that the women who work in these sectors are volunteers.
Around 50 lakh women across the country work as Anganwadi workers, ASHAs, and mid-day meal cooks, NFIW's General Secretary Annie Raja said.
They dedicate themselves to the efforts of the government in achieving the goals of reducing malnutrition, maternal mortality, infant mortality etc. On many occasions, they work for more than twelve hours, she said.
