People's Democracy

PUNJAB

Anganwadi Workers Organise Victory Rally

OVER ten thousand anganwadi workers and helpers from all over the state of Punjab held rally on October 6, 2008 at the call of Anganwadi Mulajam Union, Punjab (CITU). The rally was organised in front of the office of the director, Social Security, Women and Child Development in Chandigarh to celebrate the victory of their 92 day long hunger strike.

Addressing the rally, Dr K Hemalata, general secretary of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers extended revolutionary greetings to the workers who boldly faced the police repression and several other difficulties during their 92 day agitation. She further said that it was their strong determination and militant struggle which compelled the Punjab government to take decision to enhance the monthly honorarium of the workers by Rs 200 and the honorarium of the helpers by Rs 100. She criticised the government for not implementing the central government�s decision to enhance Rs 500 and Rs 250 in the honorarium of the workers and helpers respectively. The All India Federation of anganwadi workers and helpers would hold national convention on October 22, 2008 to chalk out next course of agitation to pressurise the UPA government to implement the decision of enhancement in the monthly honorarium.

In their address on this occasion, Usha Rani, president, Harjeet Kaur secretary and Subash Rani treasurer, congratulated the anganwadi workers and helpers who faced police repression with unprecedented determination and courage and frustrated all evil designs of the Punjab government. They said that the victory rally is not an end of their agitation, it is a mile-stone for other bigger and more militant mass struggles. History teaches us that the working class has never got anything from the government without militant struggles and sacrifices. The anganwadi leaders announced that they would continue their struggle unless and until the anganwadi workers and helpers are given the grade of government employees and all benefits of social security are provided to them.

Ragunath Singh, general secretary of Punjab CITU, greeted the anganwadi workers and helpers on their success in achieving some of their demands and said that they must carry forward the agitation for their basic demands like providing status and the grades of the government employees. Raghunath Singh assured the workers that the CITU would extend its whole hearted support to the struggles of the anganwadi workers and helpers. The rally was also addressed by other state office bearers of the union.