Excelsior Correspondent
![Employees and Anganwadi workers staging protest dharna at Press Club on Friday. -Excelsior/ Rakesh](http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/page3-223.jpg)
JAMMU, Nov 22: Employees of various cadre and departments including daily wagers, consolidated, casual and Anganwadi workers of Social Welfare Department held a strong protest demonstration against the Government at Exhibition Ground near Press Club here today.
A large number of workers under the banner of J&K National Trade Union Front (NTUF) led by its president Mohd Gafoor Dar assembled at the Exhibition Ground near Tawi bridge here this afternoon and held strong protest demonstration. They were shouting slogans in support of their pending demands. They alleged that Government has failed to mitigate their issues and also pay their pending wages for the last many months.
Most of the workers were raising slogans against the Government for nor releasing the wages of the Anganwadi workers and other employees of ICDS projects of Social Welfare Department for the last more than eight months, wages of daily wagers, casual/ consolidated workers of PHE, I&FC, PWD and Agriculture Department for the last over one year. The employees of district Samba and Doda are even unpaid for the last nearly two years. It was alleged that there was great scandal in the SWD as Anganwadi workers get wages hardly once or twice in a year. Some times they get salary for 3-4 months and for other months it remains pending. They never know that they have received salary up to such and such months. There is big confusion and there is big scandal behind which is needed to be investigated. The poor women workers of Anganwadis are facing exploitation and no women organization is bothered about their plight.
Gafoor Dar while addressing the gathering alleged that Government has failed to honour its commitment and resolve the pending issues of the employees and workers. He demanded that pending wages of these workers be released and policy be framed for the daily rated/ consolidated / casual workers engaged after 1994. The Government should also enhance the Medical Allowance of the employees from Rs 300 to Rs 1000 per month and release 10 % DA in their favour.
Prominent among others who addressed gathering included Nazir Ahmed Moulvi, Rajinder Kumar, Abdul Ahad Bandroo, Safira Firdaus, Ratna Devi, Gulam Rasool Geelani, Tariq Sofi and Naseema.