Anganwadi workers protest in Srinagar

Srinagar, Jan 31: Scores of Anganwadi workers and helpers, all women, on Saturday staged a protest in Srinagar’s city centre, demanding enhancement of wages, regularisation of services and introduction of social security benefits, saying their long-pending grievances have remained unheard for years.

From early morning, groups of Anganwadi workers assembled near Press Colony, raising slogans against what they described as official apathy towards their plight.

As the gathering grew, the protesters marched through adjoining roads, chanting in unison and drawing public attention to their demands. The demonstration briefly disrupted traffic in parts of the city centre, leading to congestion on key roads before police intervened to prevent the protest from spreading further.

Addressing the protesters, the president of the Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association said workers have been serving for years, and in many cases decades, but continue to receive meagre honorariums with no job security. “We have devoted our lives to this work, yet we are treated as expendable. Our wages are negligible, and there is no policy to regularise our services,” she said.

She added that Anganwadi workers in Jammu and Kashmir are paid far less than their counterparts in several other states.

“Across the country, honorariums have been enhanced, but here nothing has changed. While legislators draw hefty salaries, we are expected to survive on a few thousand rupees despite working on the frontlines every day,” she said.

Another worker recalled the role played by Anganwadi staff during crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic. “We went door to door, delivered essential health and nutrition services and worked without fear. Despite this, there is no job security, pension or social protection for us,” she said.

Several protesters said Anganwadi workers receive between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 per month, which they described as grossly inadequate. “With inflation soaring and essential commodities becoming increasingly unaffordable, it is impossible to run a household on these wages,” said one of the workers. She added that many Anganwadi workers come from economically weaker sections and are the sole breadwinners for their families.

The protesters appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take up their issues in the upcoming Assembly session. They warned that if their demands are not addressed, the agitation would be intensified with larger rallies and sustained protests in the coming days.