Interim Budget 2014 – Cheating the Nation and the anganwadi employees

ALL INDIA FEDERATION OF ANGANWADI WORKERS AND HELPERS

ANGANWADI KARMACHARI SANGHATANA (MAHARASHTRA)

Press Statement

Interim Budget 2014 – Cheating the Nation and the anganwadi employees

The Interim Budget placed by the Finance Minister for the UPA II government, today is nothing less than cheating the nation and the anganwadi workers and helpers of the country. The Finance Minister had allocated only Rs.21,000 crore for the Ministry of Women and Child Development. This is only a nominal increase of Rs.650 crore (3%) from the last year’s allocation of Rs.20,350 crores.

The 12^th Plan allocation for the ICDS for the year 2014-15 is Rs.22,027 crores, as per the Ministry, even though the nutritional experts of the country and the trade union federations of anganwadi employees are demanding double the amount. But, in this interim budget, the allocation for the entire Ministry for WCD, Rs.21,000 crores is less than even the plan allocation for only ICDS for this year.Through this interim budget, the UPA II government had backed out from its own plan commitment, had cheated the nation and betrayed the needs of the country’s malnourished children.

The Finance Minister had stated that ‘ICDS Mission’ will be implemented throughout the country, now. The AIFAWH had been opposing the move to privatise the ‘ICDS’ by handing over it to the private companies and corporate NGOs in the mission. In spite of repeated demand, the government till date is not ready to discuss with the employees’ organisations.

Moreover, the government had turned its back to the 27 lakh anganwadi workers and helpers who had been working for a pittance for the last 38 years who are not even paid minimum wages. They are forced to ‘retire’ without any social security. The UPA II government had ignored the recommendation of the 45^th Indian Labour Conference, the highest tripartite forum of the country, to recognise the anganwadi workers and helpers and employees, give them minimum wages and pension and other social security benefits.

The Prime Minister of India, who said that the malnutrition is a ‘national shame’ and the anganwadi workers and helpers are the ‘pillars of social development’ had  promised in 2006 that they will be given ‘parting gift’ at the time of retirement and also promised in 2012 that they will be given ‘minimum assured benefits’, to the AIFAWH leadership.  But even the last interim budget of the UPA II government too failed to keep the promises of the Prime Minister and the government.

The All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) strongly condemns the callous negligence of the UPA II government towards the ICDS, the flagship programme which benefits 1.8 crore women and 8 crore children of the country and also to the anganwadi workers and helpers.

AIFAWH calls upon all the anganwadi workers and helpers to protest against the UPA government’s attitude by organising rallies, dharnas, meetings etc. all over the country and to strengthen the organisation to fight for the just demands.

Issued by

 A. R. Sindhu,                      Shubha Shamim
A I General Secretary         A I Vice President

AIFAWH