State owes anganwadi workers more than Rs. 1.53 billion

Anganwadi workers serve a midday meal to preschool children in Devagere village near Bangalore. (Photo credit: Jvin Tootu)

By Pallavi Ail

BANGALORE (Feb. 7)—A Right To Information request filed with the Karnataka Women and Child Welfare Department has revealed that the state owes more than Rs. 1.53 billion to anganwadi workers and helpers across Karnataka.

The RTI was filed seeking details of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme in 2009-10. The reply showed that the Karnataka government owes nearly Rs. 755 million to anganwadi workers, Rs. 644 million to anganwadi helpers and Rs. 133 million to mini anganwadi workers, who work in areas with small populations, cumulatively since 2009-10.

Anganwadi workers and helpers administer the ICDS scheme. They are responsible for providing nutrition to mothers and children and also helping the primary health centers in their vicinity with various health services including immunization and ante- and postnatal checkups, according to a press release by the central government’s Press Information Bureau.

Anganwadi workers across the state have been protesting over nonpayment of honorarium dues since December 2011, when a rally was held outside Bangalore Railway Station.

The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs had approved an increase in honoraria amount paid to anganwadi workers and anganwadi helpers from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 3,000 and mini anganwadi workers from Rs. 750 to Rs. 1,500. The increase in wages was made effective from April 1, 2011.

The accounts received under the RTI, however, reveal that no provision has been made for the increased amount and up to September 2011 the unrevised wages are being recorded as the amount to be paid.

“We have paid everything. There is nothing pending,” said Usha Patwari, joint director of the ICDS scheme in the Women and Child Development Department. “The increase was approved in June. We got money from government in September. We paid everything by October.”

When pressed to know whether all the pending dues have been cleared, Patwari said that the money is sent to zilla parishad (district government), which forwards it to the taluks. After that, it takes time for money to reach the anganwadi workers.

“We have our basic honorarium pending,” said S. Varalakshmi, general secretary of Karnataka Rajya Anganwadi Noukara Sangha, an anganwadi union. “They have not paid the increased honoraria also. All officers keep saying, ‘Next month, next month.’”

The department keeps citing “technical problems” that lead to the delay and that the central and state governments do not release the funds regularly, according to Varalakshmi.

“We have to work without pay. They suspend or dismiss us if we don’t. How can we work?”  Varalakshmi said.

Her views were echoed by A.R. Sindhu, member of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers. “We just concluded a rally here [in Delhi]. The workers have dues pending across India. Other than Madhya Pradesh, almost all other states have not paid the workers for more than six months.”

Sidhu said the workers receive their wages erratically and have to make do with that.