Is MoW & CD justified in saying “In view of role of Anganwadi workers making them regular employee is not feasible”?

DAYA SAGAR

In a written reply to a Lok Sabha question on February 7, 2020 Minister of Women and Child Development ( MoW&CD) , Smriti Zubin Irani had informed (i) that Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) /Anganwadi Helpers ( AWHs) are honorary workers who come forward to render their services on payment of monthly honorarium (ii) that the Central Government was providing honorarium of Rs 4,500 per month to Anganwadi Workers (AWWs), Rs 3,500 per month to AWWs at mini-AWCs & Rs 2,250 per month to Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) adding that there was no proposal under consideration to increase the honorarium of Anganwadi Workers (ii) AWWs/AWHs ‘willingly’ come forward to render their services on payment of monthly honorarium and that (iii) in view of the very nature of the role of Anganwadi Workers/Helpers, it is not feasible to declare them as regular/permanent employees. Questions that need be reworked and submitted for reconsideration of the Minister of Women and Child Development GOI are (i) Is the nature of the role of Anganwadi Workers/Helpers such that it is not feasible to declare them as regular/permanent employees? (ii) do all the AWWs/AWHs ‘willingly’ come forward to render their services on payment of monthly honorarium ( as exists on date )? and (iii) is the amount being paid by government as honorarium adequate & reasonable ?
In terms of Q – i:To be brief Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) are working under the Social Welfare Department ‘s Integrated Child Development Scheme ( Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 ) and one could well have a view of the (ICDS – launched in 1975, is a unique early childhood development programme, aimed at addressing malnutrition, health and also development needs of young children, pregnant and nursing mothers. ICDS consists of 4 different components, namely: 1. Early Childhood Care Education & Development (ECCED) 2. Care & Nutrition Counselling 3. Health Services 4. Community Mobilisation Awareness, Advocacy & Information, Education and Communication). A brief could be had from the contents of ” 2017- Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) Manual for District- Level Functionaries.
To have a view of the working of Anganwadi Centre Scheme and the very nature of the role & duties that Anganwadi Workers/Helpers have to perform may see ” 2017- Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) Manual for District- Level Functionaries ).
Anganwadi Worker hold the charge of the Anganwadi Centre and the Anganwadi among other things is also day care centre for the beneficiary children including pre schooling for which the AWW has to devote 3 to 5 hours with the children ( Providing Early Childhood care and Education / Pre-school Nonformal Education ). The importance of the role and responsibility of AWW can be well read from the “BULK” of records and registers that a AWW is required to build &maintain i.e Family Register oSupplementary Food Stock Register oSupplementary Food Distribution Register oPre-School Education Register oPregnancy and Delivery Register oImmunisation and Village Health and Nutrition Day (VHND) oVitamin A Biannual Rounds Register oHome Visits Planner oReferrals oSummaries (Monthly & Annual) oWeight Records of Children. Is not the role important and regular?
In terms of Question- ii : Minister had said that AWWs/AWHs ‘willingly’ come forward to render their services on payment of monthly honorarium and in case that is to be believed then one would ask why are there regular reports that the Anganwadi Workers have gone on strike demanding increase their wages ( government says honorariums)/ job security and even a convention was held in Delhi on October 19, 2022 under the banner of All India Convention of Scheme workers on Right to Education, Food, Health and Labour Rights where in among other things the service conditions of AWWs were also a major issue. Those employed for Anganwadi Worker job are only women ( mostly from economically weaker families) and there is heavy rush for getting into Anganwadi Centre service whenever there is requirement and people are found even using ‘influence’ to get in . So, inspite of so less ‘honorarium’ and reasonable responsibility to be shared people come for AWW job in heavy numbers which reflects the economic compulsions of the families of job seeker woman who may have take the job even at the cost of her household duties as well. Those who come to work voluntarily on honorarium do not demand and protest demanding increase in wages / honorarium ‘wage’ where as the AWW are found regularly protesting and demanding wages increase and keep on working on low ‘wages’ honorarium & even beyond the age of 50. So , is it fair to protect the payment of ‘small’ honorarium by pleading that AWWs/AWHs are honorary workers who come forward to render their services on payment of monthly honorarium that the government has been paying ?
In terms of Q-iii: is the amount being paid by government as honorarium adequate &reasonable ?. Let us have look at the facts like that the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on March 23, 2022 had said that the Anganwadi Services Scheme operated through a network of 7075 fully operational Projects and 13.89 lakh AWCs as on June, 2021 where in services were being provided through 13.14 lakhs Anganwadi Workers and 11.74 Anganwadi Helpers to 906.17 lakh beneficiaries of which 736.91 lakh are children under six and 169.26 lakh are pregnant women & lactating mothers. The figures given by Minister do make one to think over that is the GOI justified in not considering atleast increasing the honorarium of AWWs who are the life line of this 47 year old GOI Scheme which has such a large number of beneficiaries who are already the victim of their low economic / social levels, if not employing them as regular employees ?
To be continued
(The author is Sr Journalist, social activist and analyst J&K affairs [email protected])