TNI Bureau: BJD Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Sasmit Patra has urged the Centre to review and enhance the honorarium and incentive structure for Anganwadi Workers, Mini-Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers under the Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 programme, stating that the existing remuneration no longer reflects the increased responsibilities and rising cost of living.

In a letter to Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi, Dr. Patra pointed out that the last revision of honorarium was made in 2018 and nearly eight years have passed since then. He said Anganwadi functionaries are now handling a wider range of responsibilities, including implementation of POSHAN Abhiyaan, POSHAN Tracker, nutrition surveillance, digital reporting, beneficiary tracking, maternal health monitoring and community mobilisation activities.

Describing Anganwadi Workers and Helpers as the backbone of India’s nutrition, maternal health and early childhood development system, Sasmit said their contribution has been crucial in improving child welfare and nutrition outcomes across the country. He stressed that their remuneration should be revised in line with inflation and their expanded workload.

Highlighting the situation in Odisha, he noted that Anganwadi functionaries play a key role in delivering welfare and nutrition services to children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, particularly in rural, tribal, coastal, remote and aspirational districts.

Sasmit Patra has requested the Ministry to set up a review mechanism to examine the current honorarium and incentive structure, assess inflation and cost-of-living changes since 2018, evaluate the additional responsibilities assigned under various nutrition programmes, and recommend an upward revision of honorarium and performance-linked incentives. He also sought special incentives for workers serving in tribal, remote, coastal, Left Wing Extremism-affected and aspirational districts, along with a system for periodic future revisions.

He said strengthening the honorarium and incentive framework for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers should be viewed as an investment in better child nutrition, maternal health and stronger communities, while recognising the invaluable contribution of frontline workers.