New Delhi: Anganwadi workers and helpers in the city have threatened to launch an indefinite strike in front of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal residence starting at 11 am today — demanding that the Delhi government withdraw a 2019 notification that reduced their honorarium by Rs 900 and Rs 450 respectively.
The Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union issued a statement on Sunday evening saying that the Delhi government was expecting Anganwadi workers to start pitching in for work on the Saheli Coordination Centres (a flagship scheme to provide job skills and employment opportunities for women) and had increased their workload significantly.
Despite this, the DSAWHU said that the Delhi government had in September 2019 reduced the honorarium amounts for both Anganwadi workers and helpers and now their total honorarium is set at Rs 9,678 and Rs 4,839 respectively.
It added that the last time their honorarium amount was raised was in August 2017 after 58 days of protests.
The union said that they had also protested over the same issue on September 7 last year as well near the Delhi Secretariat. They added that a memorandum was submitted before both the Delhi and the Central governments regarding their demands.
The union also said that they had met with the Women and Child Development
Minister of the Delhi government and were assured
that their demands would be met in a week.
"But even after a period of four months, no action has been taken by either the Delhi or the Central Government."
"On the one hand, the Delhi government is talking about women empowerment, while on the other hand, women workers working in important schemes like Integrated Child Development
Project, far from receiving minimum wages, have not even acquired the status of 'employee'," the union said.
The anganwadi workers have also threatened to boycott the ucoming civic polls if their demands are not met.
The DTC workers' union has also supported the strike call given by the frontline
workers.