Naxalbari, 26th May: Anganwadi workers today presented a memorandum to the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) director through the Naxalbari Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), expressing their support for various demands, including the payment of pending salaries. Under the guidance of the Paschim Banga Anganwadi Karmi Sahayika Kalyan Samiti, the Naxalbari Block-1 Committee submitted a memorandum to the CDPO, highlighting a list of 23 demands.
One of the primary demands was that the minimum salary for anganwadi workers should be set at Rs 21,000, while the assistants should receive a minimum salary of Rs 18,000. Furthermore, the workers insisted that salaries should be disbursed on the 1st of every month. In addition to immediate training, they also stressed the importance of providing adequate remuneration. According to the memorandum, a sum of Rs 5 lakh should be granted for retirement.
Nandita Chakraborty, an anganwadi worker, expressed her concerns, stating that they have not received their salaries for the past two months. Furthermore, the workers are experiencing delays in receiving their bills. Despite the escalating prices of goods in the market, their remuneration remains unchanged. The workers feel that the government is neglecting the issue of increasing their bill amounts. Consequently, running the Anganwadi center has become challenging due to these circumstances.