Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Friday pulled up the State’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the non-payment of salaries to anganwadi workers for about three months.
Taking to social media platform X, Mr. Nath said that the government was “depriving” these frontline social workers of their basic rights by not paying their salaries.
“More than 60,000 anganwadi workers and assistants working in 35 districts of the State have not received honorarium for the last three months. On the one hand, the Central government is talking big about anganwadi workers and assistants in the Budget, while on the other hand, it is depriving them of their basic rights in Madhya Pradesh,” Mr. Nath wrote.
Reported fund shortages
The Congress leader’s remarks come a day after Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman had announced, in her Interim Budget speech, that all ASHA and anganwadi workers and assistants would be given benefit under the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat scheme.
The State’s Women and Child Development Department has failed to pay salaries to several workers, including anganwadi workers and assistants, reportedly due to a shortage of funds. Anganwadi workers have held protests in various parts of the State to demand the release of their salaries.
Sharing a Sanskrit proverb, Mr. Nath wrote, “Yatra Naryastu Pujyante Ramante Tatra Devta. That is, where women are worshipped, the gods reside there. This is the timeless proclamation of our Indian culture. But the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh has sworn that women will not be able to live a normal life, let alone respecting them in any way.”
“I want to know from the Chief Minister [Mohan Yadav] why such neglectful and step-motherly behaviour is being shown towards anganwadi workers? When the Chief Minister repeatedly says that there is no shortage of budget in the State, then what is the reason for not giving honorarium?” Mr. Nath asked, demanding that the salaries be paid immediately.
