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Compensate anganwadi workers uniformly: Panel

The workers in states like Delhi and Maharashtra have gone on a strike over low wages, with the Delhi government ceding to their demands by increasing their wages.

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An earlier protest by anganwadi workers
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A parliamentary panel has asked the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development to bring about an uniform honorarium for Anganwadi workers (AWW) and Anganwadi helpers (AWH) across states and Union Territories. The workers in states like Delhi and Maharashtra have gone on a strike over low wages, with the Delhi government ceding to their demands by increasing their wages.

A department-related standing committee of the Rajya Sabha, headed by BJP MP Satyanarayan Jatiya, in its action report of the ministry also stressed on a proactive role by the ministry with slow performing states and UTs on priority basis.

"The Committee feels that AWWs and AWHs play a very important role in rendering quality services in the AWCs and the honorarium being paid to them presently is on the lower side. Further, State/UTs pay different amounts as honorarium. It is the committee's concerted opinion that AWWs and AWHs should be compensated properly," the panel noted.

The committee also said that in states like Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur and Uttarakhand drinking and toilet facilities in anganwadi centres were low. "The situation is particularly discouraging in the States of Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur where drinking water and toilet facilities in operational Anganwadi Centres is even less than 40 per cent (sic)," the report stated. It noted that while the ministry informed that 70.12 per cent and 60.01 per cent anganwadi centres have drinking water and toilet facilities, respectively, the state-wise data pointed at large scale disparities.

The panel also noted that by increasing the number of anganwadi centres from 13.49 lakh to about 13.55 lakh, the ministry reduced the gap in over seven states and UTs. It appreciated the progress made in the states of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal, and pointed out that the situation "continues to be grim" in Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Tripura , Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

In an annual review of the anganwadi centres in May and June last year, the ministry found that over 10,000 posts in the anganwadi services in the country are lying vacant while more than 34,000 sanctioned anganwadi centres (AWCs) are yet to be operational.

The priority

A department-related standing committee of the Rajya Sabha, headed by BJP MP Satyanarayan Jatiya, in its action report of the ministry also stressed on a proactive role by the ministry with slow performing states and UTs on priority basis. 

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