Anganwadi workers stage protest, demand hike in salaries

Srinagar, Feb 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association (AWHA) on Monday protested in Srinagar, demanding increase in honorarium.
Scores of Anganwadi workers and helpers on Monday protest for Salary hike.
Scores of Anganwadi workers and helpers, under the banner of Anganwadi workers and helpers association Kashmir, assembled in Press Colony and claimed that in June 2016 that the authorities had assured them their salary will be enhanced.
One of the Anganwadi worker who was leading the protest said “We have already requested the state government to increase the honorarium of Anganwadi workers and helpers. The state government is providing six hundred rupees for helpers and three hundred rupees for workers. Extra honorarium is providing by the central government.”
“We are demanding maximum honorarium of 10,000 rupees for workers and 18,000 for helpers,” she added.
She said that we are paid rupees 600 rupees from the last 15 years. “We are almost 61000 employees and we demand justice from the government,” she said.
Another protester said, “We have worked for the state, but it’s so unfortunate that we are being neglected by the government now.”
The protestors said that besides doing the Anganwadi work, they also perform duties of health department, education department and social welfare department. “But we are never paid for the extra work,” they said.
They said the government has not released their salaries for the past eight months, causing immense hardships to them.