Centre Alleges Odisha Govt’s Apathy Towards Anganwadi Services

Photo Courtesy: The Hindu

New Delhi: The Centre has accused the Odisha government of delaying filling up of various posts under anganwadi services and taking credit for the raise in the honorarium of the workers announced in September last year.

While Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a letter to Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on January 25 had alleged the state government’s apathy in filling up the vacant posts, Maneka said her Ministry has time and again taken up the issue with the state government, requesting to recruit the workers expeditiously. She said all the states have also been asked to delegate powers to district magistrates and collectors to fill up the vacancies.

Responding to the Petroleum Minister, Maneka in a letter on February 7 said the Centre’s decision to hike the honorarium of the angandwadi workers from October 1, 2018 was conveyed to the states in September, 2018, the same month when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made the announcement to raise the honorarium by Rs 1500.

She said that a grant-in-aid of Rs 16694 lakh was also released to the Odisha government to implement the decision.

Pradhan, in his letter, had demanding that her ministry take measures to ensure that the information is correctly disseminated among to “counter the State Government’s propaganda”.

He had informed the Minister that while the Centre made the announcement in September to implement the increased wages by Rs 1500 from October 1, 2018, the Odisha government did so only in January this year and took away all the credit for it.

Odisha has 1.45 lakh anganwadi workers, mini-anganwadi workers and anganwadi helpers. There remuneration compensation is borne by the centre and state in the 60:40 ratio.

In Sept Centre approved a hike of Rs 1500, thereby raising total remuneration to Rs 7500. It was implemented from October but Odisha did not give and announced. In January it announced raiding the salary by Rs 1500 thus taking away all the credit due to the centre, Pradhan had stated in his letter.