Anganwadi workers in Telangana demand Congress government to clear pending bills

Anganwadi workers across Telangana are struggling financially as the Congress government has not cleared pending rents, programme bills, and allowances for several months. Workers say they are spending from their own pockets to keep centres running, despite meagre monthly wages.

Khammam: Anganwadi workers across Telangana are reeling under a severe financial crisis with the Congress government failing to clear the rental and other dues pending for the past several months.

It is said that the rental dues for Angwandi centres being run in private properties have been pending for the past eight months. The workers are forced to spend from their pockets to clear rents ranging from Rs 2000 to Rs 3000 every month to keep the centres running.

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Speaking to Telangana Today, AITUC affiliated Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association state vice president Gone Rani said the government had recently conducted Poshan Vatika (Nutri-garden) training for the workers for three days but the travel and dearness allowances for the period was yet to be cleared.

Similarly, money spent by the workers on activities like Seemantham (Baby shower), Annaprasana (Giving babies their first solid food), Aksharabhyasam (A child’s initiation into formal learning) held at Anganwadi centres was also pending for two years.

Likewise, bills related to Arogya Lakshmi programme wherein one nutritious meal provided every day to pregnant and lactating women and children below the age of six through Anganwadi centres as well as money spent on procuring LPG cylinders were also pending for the past five months.

Anganwadi workers, who are paid Rs.13,500 monthly, were forced to spend nearly Rs 6000 every month on expenses incurred in running the centres. They have to meet their ends with the remaining money and it gets difficult to run families with that money, Mani complained.

“When the officials are asked to clear the pending dues, they say funds are not available and that the dues will be cleared only after funds are released. The government should look into the issue and take immediate steps to address it,” she said.

That was not all. The workers were not paid the money for the services they rendered as booth level officers during the last Assembly elections as well as Rs.10,000 for carrying out the recent socio-economic survey. The government had promised to pay for the 24-day strike staged by the workers two years ago but failed to deliver the promise, Mani added.