Odisha CM announces slew of sops for anganwadi workers

BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday announced a slew of financial benefits to hike the honorarium of anganwadi workers, helpers and mini anganwadi workers. The benefits include hike in honorarium and increase in their age of disengagement from 60 to 62.

“Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) plays an important role in women and children welfare. Anganwadi workers, mini anganwadi workers and helpers form the backbone of ICDS network. The state government has always been proactive to the cause of anganwadi workers,” said Naveen while announcing the package.

The honorarium of anganwadi workers has been enhanced to from Rs 6000 to Rs 7,500 per month while the mini-anganwadi workers will get Rs 5,375 instead of Rs 4,125. Similarly, the honorarium of angwanwadi helpers increased from Rs 3000 to Rs 3,750 per month. The package will come into effect from October 2018 retrospectively.

“The special package will have an additional burden of Rs 73.39 crore per annum on the state government,” Naveen said.

Apart from increasing the age of disengagement, Naveen Patnaik also announced a financial incentive of Rs 20,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 to anganwadi workers, mini anganwadi workers and helpers respectively as a measure of social security. In addition to that the anganwadi workers will also get vacation of 15 days during peak summer months, the CM said.

Opposition BJP termed the incentive as ‘lollipop’. “It was a long standing demand of the anganwadi workers to get minimum wage. The BJD supported Bharat Bandh call by trade unions who demanded minimum wage of Rs 18,000 a month then why the government increased the honorarium to RS 7500. It is only a lollipop ahead of elections,” said BJP’s state vice president Samir Mohanty.

There are around 1, 45, 000 anganwadi workers and helpers in 62,171 anganwadi centres and 10,416 mini-anganwadi centres across the state engaged in different activities.

“We have been sitting on dharna for more than 45 days demanding our legitimate demands. We had discussed the matter with the government several times. We are happy that some of them have been fulfilled and are hopeful that the government will consider our other demands as well,” said Sumita Mohapatra, general secretary of All Odisha Anganwadi Workers’ Association.