Thousands of Anganwadi and Midday Meal Workers in Karnataka Protest for Wage Revision and Job Security
Hundreds of anganwadi and midday meal workers, under the banners of the Karnataka State Anganwadi Employees Association and the Akshara Dasoha Workers Association, observed a black day in Kalaburagi on Friday as part of a nationwide call for action.
The workers, carrying flags and placards, marched from Kannada Bhavan via Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Chowk to the Deputy Commissioner's office, where they staged a demonstration to highlight their long-pending demands. These include a comprehensive wage revision and social security benefits.
Addressing the gathering, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) district president M.B. Sajjan and general secretary Shanta Ghanti criticised both the Union and State governments for neglecting scheme workers. They noted that despite rising prices of essential commodities, the honorarium for these workers has not been increased since 2018.
The leaders urged the governments to implement the recommendations of the 45th Indian Labour Conference, which calls for recognising scheme workers as regular employees, implementing minimum wages, and providing pension benefits.
Memorandums submitted to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister through the district administration highlighted structural grievances. The workers expressed concern that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, by introducing LKG and UKG classes in government schools, is drawing children aged three to six away from anganwadis, thereby reducing the number of beneficiaries.
The association demanded that the State government fulfill its pre-poll promise to increase monthly wages to ₹15,000 for workers and ₹10,000 for helpers. They also sought a rollback of what they termed as corporate-driven centralisation of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), opposing measures like packed food distribution and cash transfers.
The workers criticised the mandatory use of digital tools like FRS, e-KYC, and Poshan Tracker, pointing out that the government expects online work without providing requisite smartphones, high-speed 5G data, or Wi-Fi connectivity.
Midday meal workers, represented by the Akshara Dasoha Workers Association, voiced strong opposition against assigning the preparation of school meals to private NGOs, trusts, or entities like ISKCON. Highlighting their 25 years of service in preventing student dropouts, the workers demanded a monthly wage hike to ₹7,000, a fixed six-hour workday, health insurance, a monthly pension of ₹10,000, and an immediate halt to transferring joint account responsibilities from the head cook to the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC).
