Mobilise public opinion against ‘anti-people' policies: Yechury

The Left parties should mobilise public opinion against the “anti-people” policies of the Central Government and promote alternatives that will retard the disparities these policies are bringing about between the rich and the poor, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury has said. Participating in a seminar on the “Central government's anti-peoples policies and alternatives” held at Tummalapallivari Kshetrayya Kalakshetram on Friday, he said the UPA-II was trying to project concessions to the rich as “incentives” and those to the poor as “subsidies”. The Central Government proposed to give tax exemption to the tune of Rs. 2 lakh crores to the very companies that were the reason for economic recession. It gave Rs. 80,000 crore of tax exemption as a stimulus package in the first year and it was getting ready to forgo another Rs. 1.20 lakh crores taxes in the second year. The idea behind the tax exemption was that the companies would spend the money saved for production and salaries of employees. Salaries would only create demand for various goods and buoyancy would be created in the economy. But the alternative to this model was the government collecting Rs. 2 lakh crore taxes and investing it in infrastructure, thereby creating jobs that would, in turn, generate wealth in terms of salaries, resulting in demand for production. This would also lead to economic recovery, but more gradually. He said that the money made in the form of profits by companies that were being given tax exemptions was finding its way into the “futures and speculation markets.” These markets were making profit only by driving up the prices of commodities. The increase in prices was becoming a burden to the common man. Another step that should be taken to revive the economy was banning futures trading on essential commodities. The Rajya Sabha member said that another alternative that would stop the downward spiral of the economy was exempting petroleum products from tax. “The import of petroleum products is very essential for the functioning of the economy. “Why should tax be collected on a commodity that is so necessary for the working of the economy?” Mr. Yechury asked. He said the victory of the CPI (M) in the Durgapur Assembly by-elections was a welcome trend in West Bengal. The victory had helped the party regain its “confidence”. In the party's three-decade rule in West Bengal, “mistakes were made” but these were now being rectified. CPI (M) city secretary R. Raghu welcomed the gathering and district secretary V. Umamaheswara Rao concluded the session. Party floor leader in the VMC general body Ch. Babu Rao was on the dais. (Courtesy : The Hindu)

Anganwadi workers stage protest across the county

Lakhs of anganwadi workers under the banner of the CITU-affiliated All-India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH), took out a protest march and dharnas across the country to press for their charter of demands and against the anti people policies of the Congress Led UPA Government.

CITU leaders, who led the demonstrations, criticised the government for treating the Anganwadi workers as bonded labourers, even as extracting from them all kinds of works in various government agencies. The government was not only backtracking on all the promises it had made to the anganwadi workers in the past, but was retrenching them as well, the CITU leaders alleged.

KARWAR

Hundreds of anganwadi workers took out procession in Uttara Kannada district on Friday demanding minimum wages, security of job and pension schemes after retirement. They accused the state and Central government of neglecting anganawadi workers. In Karwar, a procession was taken out and a memorandum submitted to the DC.

The anganwadi workers urged the government that their retirement age be fixed at 65 years. They demanded that the food being supplied to children be stopped immediately.

The protesters also urged that the amount equivalent to 50% percent of their salary at the time of retirement be fixed as pension.

Raichur

Members of the district unit of the Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers' Union took out a procession and staged a dharna here on Friday demanding that the Government fix pension and provide other facilities to them on their retirement.

Activists led by Chennabasawa and J. Suresh, leaders of the district unit of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), went in a procession from Ambedkar Circle to the tahsil office. They staged a dharna there and submitted a memorandum to the tahsildar.

In the memorandum, they said anganwadi workers had been serving women and children and helping the Government in the effective handling of health and family welfare programmes. Many workers had continued to serve the Government even after 65 as the Government had failed to announce a limit for their service.

They demanded that the Government fix the retirement age at 65 for anganwadi workers and fix pension at 50 per cent of their salary. It should also provide gratuity of Rs. 1.50 lakh to each anganwadi worker on retirement. They also demanded that the Government maintain proper supply of foodgrains to anganwadi kendras and issue ration cards to all anganwadi workers as well as houses to them under the Ashraya scheme. In addition, the Government should promote SSLC-passed assistant workers as Anganwadi workers based on reservation and take steps to stop corruption in recruitment of workers to anganwadis.

Bidar

Anganwadi workers staged a protest in front of the tahshildar's office here on Friday demanding regularisation of services and better working conditions.

They demanded that anganwadi workers be regularised as Class 3 workers and anganwadi assistants as Class 4 workers. Pension, provident fund and gratuity benefits as announced in the 2009 Budget should be granted immediately, salaries paid to workers be equal to minimum wages fixed for skilled workers, and assistants get minimum wages paid to semi-skilled labourers, they said. Readymade food given to anganwadi children should be stopped and they should be given fresh cooked food. The protesters threatened to take up a Statewide agitation if their demands were not met.

A similar protest was staged in Gulbarga city as well.

HASSAN

Several hundred anganwadi workers, under the aegis of Karnataka Rajya Anganwadi Naukarara Sangha (affiliated to Centre for Indian Trade Unions), took out a protest rally here on Friday and later staged a dharna in front of the taluk office and submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the tahsildar.

The main demands of the workers have been that the State Government fix retirement age as 65 and provide a pension of Rs. 1,500 a month. They have also asked for a compensation of Rs. 1.5 lakh at the time of retirement.

All-India protest

Speaking to The Hindu from Bangalore, Varalakshmi, national vice-president of CITU, said this was part of an all-India agitation. In Karnataka, 80,000 workers participated in the agitation.

President of the taluk unit of the sangha Y.R. Manjamma and secretary Shanta Lakshmi said that anganwadi workers have been working for the last 35 years under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), and some of them were between 65 and 70 years.

Some of their other demands include: arrangements for food to be prepared in anganwadi centres, all workers be provided with BPL cards and housing, anganwadi assistants who've passed SSLC be absorbed as anganwadi workers, higher posts be filled through promotions, and end of corruption in appointments and transfers.

Anganwadi workers, who staged a dharna on the road to press for their demands, were arrested in Bellary. In response to a nationwide call, over 200 workers had assembled in the city and formed a human chain at the busy Gadagi Chennappa Circle to protest against the Centre's failure to concede to their demands. Movement of traffic was affected for over 30 minutes. When the workers continued their dharna, the police took into custody around 134 members, but released them later.

Pune

Over 4000 anganwadi workers protested outside zilla parishad office demanding wage revision.

“The policies of the state government are against the betterment of anganwadi workers. We have been fighting for our rights for years, however now we will raise our issue using strike as the weapon,” said Shubha Shamim, state chief secretary, Anganwadi Karmachari Sanghatana, Maharashtra.

The district has over 5000 women- anganwadi workers in 14 talukas who have been demanding revision of wages, pension, Diwali bonus, regular income, implementation of developmental projects. “We do not receive our wage on time. On inquiring with the state government, we were told the amount has been dispatched, however, the money never reached us. We are directly asking the state government to order a probe into where the money goes,” said Shamim. Speaking on the occasion, Kiran Moghe, CPM said, “This concern is not only limited to the anganwadi workers, but to all individuals belonging to the economically backward class. We fully support this fight against injustice.”

ONGOLE

Hundreds of anganwadi workers from Prakasam district, under the banner of the CITU-affiliated All-India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH), took out a protest march on the Trunk Road on Friday and staged a demonstration in front of the Prakasam Bhavan to press for their charter of demands.

Striking work at the 21 anganwadi centres across the district, the workers, who play a key role in providing child care in rural areas, also formed a human chain, disrupting traffic for sometime on the arterial Trunk Road leading to Chennai, demanding higher wages, job security and status of government servants with pension and other retirement benefits.

“A meagre Rs. 2,200 per month is being paid in case of anganwadi workers and Rs 1,200 in case of helpers.

We demand a minimum of Rs. 4,500 for anganwadi workers and Rs. 2500 for helpers as in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu,” AIFAWH leader Prashanthi told newspersons on the sidelines.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)