J&K Anganwadi Workers, Helpers protest in support of their demands

Vice-President All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) K. Hemlata today expressed serious concern over non allocation of adequate financial resources for Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to improve the condition of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers. Instead, she said, the government of India has decided to run ICDS in a mission mode which means after concentrating on it for some time it will be stopped.

 

Hemlata was addressing Anganwari workers and helpers who had assembled here at Sher-e-Kashmir Park Srinagar. The workers and helpers later staged a protest demonstration that started at S.K.Park and culminated at Press enclave.

 

She said that ICDS has been playing an important role in reducing malnutrition, but the government’s apathetic attitude has been creating hurdles. “Besides privatization of nursery schools for pre-school education, the government has decided to privatize 10% of ICDS projects by handing them over to NGO’s, Corporates. There is no provision for increasing the wages of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers or providing them with social security benefits. But the mission says that the Anganwadi workers and Helpers should be retired at the age of 65 Years,” she said.

 

Hemlata observed that because of the efforts of CITU the Indian Labour Conference (45th Session) has discussed the conditions of scheme workers including Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, ASHA’s etc. as an agenda item. They should be recognized as workers, paid minimum wages and social security benefits, but the government is not ready to implement these recommendations. All India Federation is fighting against this attitude of government. A black day was observed on July 10th and the Federation has decided to continue the struggle by holding convention along with the beneficiary organizations involving the people at State and District level and also through big mobilizations all over the country. It has also decided to participate in joint Trade Union programmes on 25th September and 12th December, she said. 

 

Jameela Sabiri General Secretary JKAWHU, Naseema Kuchay President JKAWHU,  Spinder Kour Treasurer and Kanta Devi Anganwadi leader urged the Government to immediately release the arrears in favour of the Anganwadi workers and helpers under Central and State share, besides ensuring time bound promotions in various cadres of the Social Welfare Department. They said that Anganwadi workers and helpers, the grass root workers of the ICDS scheme should be entitled to decent living. Their immediate demands which include payment of gratuity, the formulation of a pension scheme to ensure that these women workers do not languish in their old age: immediate enhancement of their meager remuneration to the consumer price index: payment of minimum wages and withdrawal of attempts to privatize ICDS must be fulfilled forthwith. A standing mechanism must be put in place in Ministry of women and Child Development for revision in the rates of Honorarium of Anganwadi workers and helpers.  Anganwadi workers and helpers should be covered by the EPF and ESI Act for regularization of their services as Govt, employee, besides Anaganwadi Centres must be made as noodle centers to impart pre-school education.

 

Others who spoke on the occasion include Abdul Rashid Najar, Joint Secretary CITU, CITU leaders Sham Prasad Kesar and Om Prakash Sharma. These leaders demanded release of pay dues to the newly appointed workers, conversion of ICDS as a separate department and demanded provision of pensionary benefits to the workers and helpers. 

 

The protestors were carrying banners, placards and shouting slogans demanding regularization of their services as Class III and Class IV employees with immediate increase in their honorarium to Rs. 5000 and Rs 4000 per month respectively. They were also demanding release of training grants in favour of the workers and helpers without any delay and providing of T.A, D.A for attending different meetings like pulse polio, Aids Awareness Programme e

Prosecute Narendra Modi

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

 

 The letter written by the jailed police officer Vanzara about the actions taken by him and the other accused in the Gujarat encounter killings confirms in the most direct way what was known to most citizens of this country, that the killings were executed with the full knowledge and direction of those leading the Gujarat Government. In a chilling exposure the letter describes encounter killings as an intrinsic policy of the Gujarat Government against terrorism. Narendra Modi’s numerous statements at the time justifying the killings, fit in perfectly with Vanzara’s defence.

 

The efforts of the BJP leadership including its MP and spokesperson Prakash Javedekar in trying to sabotage the processes of justice in case have been revealed in a CD which has been aired on several channels and widely reported in the press. His references to Narendra Modi make it doubly clear that the Chief Minister was in full knowledge and therefore in connivance with the efforts to manipulate the case in their favour.

 

The CPI(M) demands that Narendra Modi should be prosecuted in the concerned cases and should forthwith step down from office. It calls for a Supreme Court supervised inquiry to uncover the full facts in the CD case so as to file criminal charges against those involved. In the meanwhile the bail of Amit Shah should be cancelled.

 

This episode once again highlights the utter contempt that the BJP and its leadership, including Narender Modi have for the Constitution of India and the law of the land.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Calls upon All to Unite to Demand Employment

Employment is the ultimate solution. To save one’s family from poverty and live in the backdrop of sky rocketing of prices, let us all unite to put forth our demand for employment more vehemently, said Politburo member Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. He also called upon the people who are not supporters of the left, to also come forward to stress this demand.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was speaking at a rally organized by the West Bengal Bustee (Slum) Development Samity at Rani Rashmoni Road in Kolkata today (4th September). It was the first gathering organized by this Leftist organization to put forward a charter of demand for the common people pertaining to a secured and safe habitat, supply of 35 kgs of cereals per family every month at the rate of Rs 2 per kg, minimum wage of Rs 10,000 per month to the people engaged in the unorganized sector and to express their protest against the price rise.   

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said the ruling party is showering money in the slums but that cannot be the solution for the poor toiling masses. They may get swayed with this but they need to realize that biryani, drinking, worshipping, all these cannot be the ultimate essence of life, nor the ultimate goal for a healthy living. It is only to wash off one’s focus from the ongoing problems all these are being done. We need to make people realize this. Those who are with the TMC, too have to be convinced that to save one’s family we need work. For this we have to create jobs for which we need industry.

He said people living in the slums are always under panic of eviction, fire, destruction of their habitat. The luring eyes of the promoters are focused on the land. Where ever there is any move to evict the slum dwellers, we have to intervene to save the poor people. Eviction of the poor people can in no way be allowed. We have to be beside them to save them.  All this was not the practice at the time of the Left Front. They had the protection. One has to ensure their safety of life. Irrespective of APL or BPL, without any division every slum dweller has to be given a BPL card. They have to be supplied with rice, cereal, oil and other essential commodities at subsidized rates. What the ruling party is doing by distributing money in the slums is only giving rise to antisocial temperaments. Young boys and girls who are getting education in the slums are working hard with a feeling of getting a secured job in the near future. We need to make them understand that for this industry is required. Unless industry can prosper, jobs cannot be created. People who are with the TMC also have to be approached to bring to them this realization. They have to be convinced that if you want to save your family then it is the Left parties who are with you.

Former urban development minister Ashok Bhattacharya presided over the meeting. A delegation from the meeting went to Raj Bhavan from there and submitted a charter of demand to the Governor.