Nagamani has been working in Sedam near Kalaburagi in Karnataka for the last 40 years. An anganwadi worker by profession, she says she hasn't received any kind of benefits as a government worker. “We don't have access to health facilities, education facilities for our children, housing facilities, or even a pension. We are made to work till we are 60 years old and then get sent home,” she said. She further added, “On top of not providing anything, many other jobs belonging to other departments, and running of schemes like the Matru Purna and Matru Vandana are dumped on us. The government is not concerned about us at all and treats us like free labour.” Matru Purna is a scheme for pregnant and lactating poor women in rural areas where they get one nutritious meal every day for 25 days in a month, and Matru Vandana is a cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating women of 19 years of age or above for the first live birth.
This was the story of scores of anganwadi workers who were protesting at Freedom Park, Bengaluru on Tuesday. Two protests were organised - one with 800-1,000 people, and the other had about 1,500 people. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the anganwadi workers were also given the additional responsibility of joining the ASHA workers in travelling from house-to-house for contact tracing, without any protective equipment. “We were asked to work in times when the virus was spreading fast, we were asked to work even when we were unwell and we did it,” said Shivaleela, who also works in Sedam.
She further said that the new phones that were given by the department to document their work online had affected several of the older workers, who weren’t accustomed to using modern technology or had bad vision. Another thing the workers were angry about is that they only get paid an honorarium and have no concept of a fixed salary or pension.
The protest was conducted by the All India United Trade Union Center (AIUTUC) and All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) separately, at different locations near Freedom Park. However, both of the unions placed the same demands.
The major demands of the workers were to classify anganwadi workers and helpers as C and D group workers, provision of designated facilities, a fixed salary of Rs 25,000 each for anganwadi workers and Rs 21,000 for helpers, implementation of government pension scheme for all anganwadi workers and abolishment of the current contribution-based pension scheme. They also demanded that anganwadi workers be relieved from doing additional work for other departments.
Another fear the workers have is the new proposal of starting pre-schools under the National Education Policy (NEP). The anganwadi workers are uncertain as to how this would impact them. “NEP falls under the Education Department and it is being pushed on the anganwadis. The problem is that there is no clarity as to what they want the anganwadi workers to do and how it will affect them. We worry that the employment of the workers will be at stake and they will be thrown in the streets. We are demanding that anganwadis and the infrastructure should be strengthened and kept under the Women and Child Development Department. It should not be handed over to the education department,” said Rama TC, Secretary of Karnataka Rajya Samyukta Anganwadi Naukarara Sanga, an office bearer of AIUTUC.
She further said that the protest would be intensified if the government didn’t yield to their demands.