Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 1: Hundreds of Anganwadi workers under the banner of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union J&K staged protest in both the capital cities of the Union Territory demanding pensionary benefits and release of pending arrears.
Drawn from various ICDS projects of Jammu Division, a large number of Anganwadi workers and helpers gathered this morning at Prem Nath Dogra Chowk, Jammu and held massive demonstration.
Addressing the protesting workers, Suman Suri, president of the Union for Jammu province, said that Anganwadi workers and helpers which are mostly women workforce are being used a bonded labourers by the UT Government as their services are being utilized for the implementation of various Centrally Sponsored programmes such as Pulse Polio Immunization, Sabla, Census, election duties, verification and survey of BPL and APL ration card holders, preparation of Aadhar cards, verification of beneficiaries under Social Welfare schemes, in addition to the duties under ICDS.
Suri said that even they are performing multifarious duties but in return the Government is paying them just Rs 5100 honorarium per month which is too meager to meet both ends of their life and on the top of that the Department still have not any provision of pensionary benefits for them. She demanded enhancement of their honorarium at par with their counterparts in other UTs of the country. She also sought enhancement of monthly rent charges of room accommodation from the present Rs 750 which is quite low to get a room on rent.
In Srinagar, the protest of Anganwadi workers and helpers held at Press Enclave, where scores of such workers appeared and raised slogans in favour of their demands while ridiculing the move of the concerned department wherein it has been stated that they will have to face retirement without any pensionary benefits.
Tasleema Subhan who is the Kashmir province president of the Union said that the Department is talking of their retirement, “but we exist nowhere, we do not even have a service book and what are we even going to get after the retirement,” she said. She said that those who have given decades of their lives to the department will be sent out empty hands without any benefits which is nothing but sheer injustice.
Subhan said that the provision of service book must be made for them along with the benefits that should be given to the workers as well as the helpers after retirement. “The helpers upon retirement should get Rs 3 lakh in hand along with a monthly pension after that, while as the workers upon their retirement should be given Rs 7 lakh in hand along with the monthly pension so that they could lead their post-retirement life in a better way,” she asserted.
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