| Anganwari workers without salary for 8 months, ICDS Deptt turns blind eye | | Engaged in COVID-19 survey without being paid a penny | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 5: Thousands of Anganwari workers are facing immense hardships due to alleged indifferent attitude of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) Department. These workers have not received their dues for the past eight months.
Sources in the department told Early Times that the salary of these Anganwari workers has been pending since December 2019. “Not only the salary of eight months, even the State share of the salary for the months of September, October and November 2019 has also not been paid till date. Nearly 20,000 Anganwari workers are getting very meager honorarium of Rs 5500 per month and that too without State share, which makes things worse for this marginalized lot,” they said.
“The funds received from Central Government particularly for salary are spent on other things by the department due to which the pendency of monthly salary of Anganwaris continues to the pile up,” they claimed.
They further informed that although Centre Government releases six months budget under ICDS to State in advance to the ICDS department for its smooth functioning but due to expenditure of these funds in other works of the department, creates problems in release of the workers’ salary on time.
“We have been given a job of conducting survey of COVID-19 door to door but on the other side our eight month salary has been withheld, which is injustice with us despite the fact that Prime Minister has directed that salary during this period must be given to everyone ,” said, Neelam Sharma Anganwadi worker. She said adding that due to nonpayment of salary they are facing severe financial crisis. |
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