UDALGURI Jan 5 - Anganwadi helpers of Udalguri district staged a road blockade programme against the government's move to privatise the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and enhancement of their remuneration at Tangla town in Udalguri district on Friday.
More than 1,000 anganwadi helpers took out a protest rally and staged sit-in demonstration raising slogans against the Union and State governments at Tangla Chariali by blocking the Mangaldai-Bhutiachang Road and Tangla-Deor Path from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm.
The protest, held under the banner of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) flayed the union government�s move to privatise the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) under the pretext of private-public partnership (PPP) model and for fulfilling various demands, including gratuity, formulation of pension scheme, immediate enhancement of their remuneration, payment of minimum wages and increase in budget of ICDS.
The agitating anganwadi workers also demanded regularisation of their services as Class-III and Class-IV employees with increase in their honorarium to Rs 5,000 and Rs 4,000 per month respectively. The wages have not been revised during the last 10 years and the workers were obviously facing serious trouble in managing their families with such a meagre income, they alleged.
�We have been meted step-motherly treatment by both the central and the state governments,� rued Hanufa Begum, an anganwadi helper. The anganwadi workers later handed over a memorandum to Harisinga Revenue Circle Officer Rittutam Bora addressed to the Chief Minister.
It may be pertinent to mention here that the Centre is considering cash transfers under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) instead of taking home rations for children under three, besides pregnant and lactating mothers in anganwadis. The DBT (direct benefits transfer) system is under consideration in the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development, reportedly based on a recent report prepared by the NITI Aayog on �Reforming Take Home Rations (THR) under the ICDS Scheme�.
