Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 18: Expressing concern over the plight of Anganwadi workers, CPI(M) senior leader and former MLA, Mohammed Yousf Tarigami today said the Anganwadi workers and helpers in Jammu and Kashmir, who are working tirelessly and are on the forefront of fighting COVID-19 pandemic, are without wages for the last more than a year which is unfortunate.
Thousands of Anganwadi workers and helpers, who have been tirelessly working day in and day out have been treated with utter contempt by the Government, Tarigami said in a statement issued here, today. The Government had in 2018 announced to enhance the honorarium in favour of these workers/helpers. However, more than two years down the line, the announcement to enhance the honorarium of these workers by Rs 500 has not been fulfilled yet, he added.
He said all the Government schemes are being implemented through Anganwadi workers and helpers. But despite that even the meager wages due to them are denied since 2019. Helpers to supervisors, who are more than 700 in number are without wages for the last three years. The Central share for their wages for the year 2019 has been released but the State share is yet to be released compounding their problems, he added.
He said the administrative apathy towards their genuine issues is against justice and fair play. They are being denied social security benefits including promotion, pension, provident fund, medical facilities, etc.
Similarly, the Accredited Social Health Activists under the NHM, the mid-day-meal workers, who have served the poor women and children all their lives with a nominal honorarium, have been left to fend for themselves by this Government, he added.
Tarigami alleged that the Modi Government has been announcing packages and Yojnas which in reality are re-packaging of the old packages and yojnas. On ground, the BJP Government is treacherously snatching away several benefits that were available to the workers till now.
It has resorted to drastic cuts in the allotments to several of its social welfare schemes which mainly benefit the unorganized sector workers, particularly children and women in their families, he said. The allocations for the Ministry of Women and Child Development, for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and for education have been drastically cut, he added.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel