RAMANAGARA (BENGALURU SOUTH): “We have 11 children at our centre and the government gives us 50 paise per child per day for vegetables which translates to Rs 5.50 per day for our centre. What can we possibly buy with this amount? Forget vegetables, we cannot even afford chillies, lemons, or coriander leaves,” said Geetha (name changed), an Anganwadi worker at a village in Ramanagara.
The price of an egg too is fixed at Rs 6, while it varies time to time. “Eggs sometimes cost Rs 7.50 per egg and we have been told to give eggs twice a week. But the government won’t bear the additional cost. The money is released once every three months,” she said.
Anganwadis were started across the country in 1975 under the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) to combat malnutrition among children, expecting mothers and also new mothers. In Karnataka, a pilot project started at T Narasipura taluk in Mysuru with 100 Anganwadis. Today, the state has 69,919 centres, where over 1.2 lakh people are employed as workers and cooks. These centres benefit over 40 lakh children and mothers.
Over the years, the workers have been provided with initiatives and also given many responsibilities.
As Anganwadis celebrate 50 years, The New Sunday Express checked the status of these centres, workers and facilities.
“Earlier, we were given green gram, jaggery, varieties of dals, groundnut and other items that helped us make food tasty and healthy. But now, it is limited to rice, tur dal and wheat courses along with milk powder and ggs,” Geetha said.
‘Anganwadi staff trained to grow veggies’
Susheela (name changed), who is in her late 50s and has a kidney ailment, walks from her village in Channapatna to the nearest bus station which is over one kilometer.
She then takes a bus to the Bidadi bus station, from where she takes another bus to the village where her Anganwadi is located and walks again to reach her centre.
“Forget medical benefits, we don’t even get extra leaves. I have taken a loan of Rs 1 lakh with Rs 6,000 interest. I started with an honorarium of Rs 1,000 per month 23 years ago, and today it is Rs 12,500. It is far less than even minimum wages,’’ she said. While the Centre pays Rs 4,500, the remaining is paid by the state government.
For cooks, the Centre pays Rs 1,500, while Rs 5,000 is borne by the State. The condition of cooks is far worse than other Anganwadi workers. One of the cooks who works at a centre near Channapatna said, “I have been working for the last 35 years and I will retire in January 2026. At the time of retirement, I will get only Rs 75,000 and no other benefits.’’ At many places, cooks have to walk some distance to fetch water. “We need at least 10 pots of water to cook and clean. We have toilets, but no water connection,’’ said another cook.
The state government releases Rs 83 per centre per month for cleaning. This amount has not been credited for the last three years.
“We need dish soap/powder to wash utensils, and detergent to clean carpets where kids sleep in the afternoon. We have to clean the floor. We bring soap and other necessities from our homes many times,’’ said a worker from a centre in Bidadi.
S Varalaskhmi, president, Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers’ Association, said there has been demand to consider ICDS as a department, while it is officially still a scheme, even 50 years after inception. Earlier, 90% of aid was from the Union government, but it was cut short post 2014. Even as the allotment from the Central Finance Commission reduced, the state government did not increase the honorarium.
Women and Child Development Director Mahesh Babu N said there has been a demand to increase the honorarium, which needs to be reviewed. “A child’s brain develops from infancy to six years old. At that age, giving nutritious food matters. Our nutrition expert committee has recommended a menu that helps children’s brain development,’’ he said.
Rs 18.50 is spent per child per day. Of that, Rs 15.50 is from the state government. When TNIE asked government officials whether 50 paise per child is enough for vegetables, they agreed it was not. “But we have trained Anganwadi workers to grow vegetables on their premises and use,’’ they said. But what they forgot was that, many anganwadi centres run from a single room for which a rent is paid.