Packaged food for anganwadi meals soon

While the row between women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi and anganwadi workers does not seem to cool off soon, the WCD ministry, on the other hand, is working on a set of guidelines to introduce packaged food in anganwadi centres. The guidelines, meant for malnourished children, will have recipes, calorie intake counters, and details of hygienic maintenance standards.

“We are looking at a standardised package of pre-cooked food items where only boiled water will need to be added. There have been complaints of the cooked food provided by self-help groups in various states. In some areas, the food never reaches the children,” said a senior ministry official. “They have exploited the system for long.”

Pre-cooked food is provided in states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, etc. India has the largest number of malnourished children, with 32% of the children being malnourished, and 44% being underweight. There are over 17 lakh anganwadis in India.

The government decision is countered with demands made by the 24.58 lakh anganwadi employees around the country, demanding better pay and benefits. There 24.58 lakh anganwadi employees include 12.93 lakh anganwadi workers and 11.65 lakh anganwadi helpers, working in 13.42 lakh operational anganwadis in the country, many of whom are engaged over six hours daily.

Currently, anganwadi workers in the country are entitled to Rs 3,000 per month, while anganwadi helpers are given Rs 1,500 per month. State anganwadi centres are allowed to provide allowances over the base pay. West Bengal pays over Rs 1,500, and Karnataka Rs 1,000 over and above what is mandated.

The government decision also follows a statement released by the ministry a few days ago on the entitlements given to the workers, including an insurance scheme, clothes, scholarships, etc., anganwadi workers have issued a counter statement saying that they will hit the streets to protest against the meagre entitlements.

The government release is a continuation of the exchanges between the workers and the government, which has refused to identify them as workers. They are now identified as volunteers, and hence are paid a third of the minimum wage and are not entitled to any social security benefits. The workers are now going on a nationwide protest on July 11.

“The government entitlements are practically nothing; they must respect the contribution of these workers. If nothing, the government must pay heed to the recommendation of the 45th Indian Labour Conference,” said Tapash Sen, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). The 45th ILC has unanimously recommended that anganwadis be recognised as workers, and not simply volunteers.

With a continuous slashing of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) budget in the last two years, the government claims that the states have to shoulder responsibility, says All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) general secretary A R Sindhu. “Most states have not been able to shoulder it, say for instance, Maharashtra. There has been a deficit of Rs 1,500 crore in the budget this year alone,” says Sindhu.

The release, says Sindhu, enlists schemes that have been existing as far as 1985. “The pension scheme and the bima yojana were introduced in 1994, and the promotion to supervisors scheme has been running since 1985. It was increased from the existing 25% to 50% last year by the union ministry, but in states like Punjab and Himachal, over 90% to 100% reservation already exists,” said Sindhu.