VIRUDHUNAGAR: Around 1,200 Anganwadi workers were detained by police on Wednesday for staging a protest at the district collectorate condemning the administration for installing cameras at the Anganwadi centres.
Sources said around 33,000 children attend a total of 1,504 anganwadis in the district. Each centre has a teacher and a helper. Last month, the district administration launched an initiative for installing cameras in the anganwadis for the district collector to monitor the activities. However, the workers at the centres and functionaries of the Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association strongly condemned the move stating that it would affect the privacy of women, including lactating mothers who visit the centres.
Despite the opposition, a camera was installed at an Anganwadi recently and this triggered several protests recently. On Wednesday, the police shifted the protestors from the collectorate to five marriage halls. They were all released in the evening.
Meanwhile, an official from the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) has issued a statement to the protestors requesting them to end the protest. "The anganwadis are remaining shut from October 20 owing to the protests. This has led to many children and mothers not receiving nutrition. New admissions also did not take place on Vijayadashami day," the statement read. The official also promised steps to address their concerns regarding the district administration's recent initiative.