Salaries of anganwadi volunteers: L-G asks Sisodia to check facts

Replying to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's strongly-worded letter over non-payment of salaries to anganwadi volunteers, Lt Governor Anil Baijal today asked him to introspect why the budget could not be planned in a more "meticulous manner". In his letter, the L-G told Sisodia that being in charge of women and child development, and finance departments, he should have checked the facts and taken timely action for provision of funds. The deputy chief minister holds the charge of finance and, women and child welfare development departments. Yesterday, the deputy chief minister had written to Baijal, attacking him for "backing" bureaucrats who are boycotting meetings with AAP ministers and over non-payment of salaries to anganwadi volunteers for the last three months. Replying to Sisodia's letter, the L-G said, "The department (women & child development) has informed that payment to anganwadi workers has been made up to November last year and to anganwadi helpers up to December. "The department also informed that payment for the remaining months are pending as the funds provided in the Budget 2017-18 for this purpose have already been exhausted," Baijal said. The L-G said it was not correct to say that payment of rent to Anganwadi premises has been pending for three months, and if any specific cases of unpaid dues are in the notice of deputy chief minister, he may take it up with the women and child development department. In his letter to Baijal, Sisodia had equated IAS officers' association with "khaap panchayat" which issues "fatwa" against the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation.

Sisodia had also attacked Baijal for backing bureaucrats. "You are the Lt Governor of Delhi. You have also been an IAS officer, but I request you to stop seeing things through spectacles of an IAS officer," the deputy chief minister had said. "Think about a three-year old child who goes to anganwadi, but his teacher has not got salary for the last three months," he had said. Baijal, a former bureaucrat, has also been a former Union home secretary. In the letter, Sisodia had demanded action against officers who are responsible for non-payment of salaries to anganwadi workers.

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