PANAJI: Anganwadi workers and helpers in Goa held a day-long protest at Azad Maidan demanding regularisation of services, recognition as government employees, along with extended benefits, including pension.
The protest, held today, was led by the AITUC Goa-affiliated Akhil Goa Rajya Anganwadi Karmachari Sanghatana Union, which saw participation in solidarity with 10 central trade unions and several sectoral federations. The strike was in opposition to central and state government policies on labour and agriculture.
All Anganwadi centres across the State remained shut, disrupting pre-school education, food distribution, surveys, and community outreach services.
Raising sector-specific issues, Anganwadi workers invoked a Supreme Court ruling recognising them as full-time employees. They demanded pay scale parity, dearness allowance, gratuity, provident fund, a functional insurance scheme monitored at the project level, and a monthly pension of Rs 10,000.
Administrative demands included relaxed eligibility criteria allowing 10th pass Sevikas to apply for supervisor posts, provision of digital work tools, and a one-time transfer facility for reasons such as marriage, spouse relocation, or a child’s education.
The workers also sought improvements in service conditions, calling for an end to Aadhaar and Family Ration Scale (FRS) mandates in food distribution, better quality of Take-Home Rations (THR) with a shift to fresh meals or dry cereals, and exemption from uploading children’s photos during holidays. They further demanded one-month summer vacations with dry ration provision and the sanctioning of new Anganwadi centres in underserved areas with a population above 1,000.
