Vijayawada: Anganwadi workers and helpers staged a mega protest at Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada on Monday demanding that the government increase the honorarium, pay gratuity, change the mini centres into the main centres and release the pending arrears. Thousands of Anganwadi workers and helpers came to Vijayawada from all districts of the state since early morning and raised their voice demanding the government to concede to their demands. Trade unions-- the CITU, AITUC, IFTU and Anganwadi associations-- extended support and their leaders and functionaries participated in large numbers in the protest which was held amidst several hundred police personnel. Barricades were installed and traffic was diverted in Gandhi Nagar due to the participation of several thousand Anganwadi workers.

PDF MLC KS Lakshmana Rao expressing his solidarity to the Anganwadi workers said the Anganwadi workers had hoped that their problems would be solved if the Government changes in the state after the Assembly elections last year. He recalled that he recently spoke in the legislative council also on the problems of the Anganwadi workers but there is no proper response from the government.

He recalled earlier that the Anganwadi workers had staged protests for 42 days and got six GOs from the state government but their wages were not increased.

CITU State general secretary Ch Narasinga Rao demanded that the state government should recognise Anganwadi workers as the state government employees and pay a minimum honorarium of Rs 26,000 a month. He demanded that the efforts for privatisation of ICDS should be stopped.

IFTU state president P Prasad and others spoke on the occasion. Anganwadi workers and helpers union (CITU), AP Anganwadi workers and helpers association (AITUC) and AP Pragatiseela Anganwadi workers and helpers union (IFTU) general secretaries K Subbaravamma, J Lalitamma and VR Jyothy demanded that honorarium should be increased, all apps should be changed/merged into one app, implement the welfare schemes, specific guidelines are to be issued for the promotions, stop the political interference in the Anganwadi centres, release the pending TA and DA bills, rents of the Anganwadi centres, fill the 164 supervisor posts lying vacant, free distribution of LPG cylinders to Anganwadi centres and strengthen the preschools.

Sramika Mahila state convener K Dhanalakshmi, trade union leaders V Umamaheswara Rao, AV Nageswara Rao, K Umamaheswara Rao, NC Srinivasa Rao and leaders of affiliated associations attended the mega dharna. Several hundred police were deployed at Dharna Chowk, Gandhi Nagar, Besant Road to prevent any untoward incident.