State Governments in India Indifferent to Social Health Workers: Menaka Gandhi

Workers of the government sponsored child-care and mother-care program (Anganwadi) raised complaints to Menaka Gandhi, Union Minister for Women and Child Development about their delayed payments.

Gandhi said that the state governments in India are adopting a careless and irresponsible attitude towards making timely payments to Anganwadi workers.

The members of the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) highlighted problems to Gandhi in a meeting like, low honorarium for cr�che workers and helpers, difficulty in setting up cr�ches in conflict areas and outstanding payments to Anganwadi trainers by the state governments.

The ICCW, an umbrella organization of NGOs and non-profit organizations working in the field of child welfare, runs 5,300 cr�ches in 450 districts across the country.

Maneka asked them to submit a formal representation to her ministry giving details of the issues and action needed so that the matter could be taken up with the finance ministry and the state governments.

"It is a serious matter that the state governments are adopting a careless and irresponsible attitude towards making timely payments to Anganwadi workers and Anganwadi trainers for the services rendered by them," said Gandhi.

The minister said the ministry would get in touch with all the states and write to those states, which were not making timely payments.

She said the training of Anganwadi workers was also not up to the mark "as is evident from the fact that they are lacking in knowledge of cleanliness, hygiene and good quality food to children".

The ICCW members also requested her for a separate budget for the inspection of cr�ches and Anganwadi centers to ensure quality.

Source: IANS