Anganwadi workers, helpers in J&K suspend 6-month stir

Anganwadi workers and helpers in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday announced suspension of their nearly six-monthlong agitation for various demands, including hike in honorarium, saying they are temporarily resuming work on the assurance of the state administration.

Over 28,000 anganwadi workers and helpers went on an indefinite strike across the state o n February 1 to press for their demands, which also included implementation of the pension scheme, release of pending salaries, seniority list and gratuity.

“We have decided to suspend the 173-day strike for a month and are resuming work after getting an assurance from the governor’s adviser Khurshid Ahmad Ganai that our demands would be addressed within a fortnight,” Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association president Suman Suri said.

She said a delegation of the association from all the three regions of the state met Ganai in Srinagar on Friday under her leadership and highlighted their “genuine and long-pending” demands and got a “positive response” from him.

“We are resuming the work and if the need arises, we will be back on the roads on August 24. However, we are hopeful that the governor will look into our demands sympathetically and on humanitarian grounds, and address these with utmost urgency,” Suri said.

She said the anganwadi workers and helpers in the state are getting a meagre amount of ₹3,600 and ₹1,800 respectively, while their counterparts in other states, including in Delhi are getting ₹10,000 and ₹6,000 for the same work.

We are resuming the work and if the need arises, we will be back on the roads on August 24. SUMAN SURI , president, Anganwadi Association