Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 8: Hundreds of Anganwadi workers and helpers of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), under the banner of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union J&K affiliated with CITU on Thursday assembled at Press, Enclave, Srinagar and held strong protest demonstration.
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They were chanting slogans in favour of their demands. Protesters urged the LG’s administration to enhance their honorarium at par with the adjoining states of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi.
While addressing the protesters Suraya Bhat, general secretary of the Union said that there should be no retirement of ICDS workers till retirement benefits including gratuity Rs 4 lakh per worker and monthly pension is provided as they have given their prime age while serving the department. Instead of changing the names, designations of workers and helpers, the delay tactics and meager wages policy needs to be changed, they asked.
There are some states and even in our neighborhood Ladakh where the upper age limit of workers is 65 years. In West Bengal, ICDS workers are being given Rs 4 lakh gratuity on retirement.
“We appeal to the LG administration to enhance the retirement age upto 70 years and provide gratuity of Rs 4 lakh and pensioner benefits to the workers and helpers,” she added.
Anganwadi workers, helpers demand implementation of the 45th recommendation of Indian Labour Conference held in the year 2013,which is ICDS workers’ be given worker status. “We also demand that every Scheme worker including ICDS workers must be brought under the ambit of Minimum Wages Act recently modified in Jammu and Kashmir in order to give justice to poor women workers, so that the slogan of Beti Bachao and Bete Padao is implemented on ground,” she maintained.
Others who addressed the protest demonstration include Afshana, Masooda Majeed, Nasreena, Daizy, Mubeena and Muneera.
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