Charter of Demands

(Adopted by the 10^th Conference of AIFAWH held on 6-9 December 2022 at Madurai, Tamil Nadu)

 The tenth conference of AIFAWH held on 6-9 December 2022 at Madurai, Tamil Nadu adopts the following charter of demands and resolves work to achieve these demands.

• Stop privatisation of ICDS in any form in anganwadis in the name of Public Private Partnership, restructuring etc. No withdrawal of responsibility of government from providing nutrition. Stop introduction of schemes such as ‘Poshan Matka’.
• No religious functions to be introduced in anganwadi work. Stop communalization.
• Withdraw four labour Labour codes. Recognise the Right to Organisation and Collective bargaining of the anganwadi employees. Include them under the purview of labour laws. Make mechanism for recognition of unions.
• Withdraw NEP-2020.Separate comprehensive legislation covering children from the age 0-6, similar to RTE Act 2009, to guarantee adequate nutrition, ECCE and health services to these children for a foundation for building strong nation of healthy, educated, and strong citizens and a society free of malnutrition, disease and illiteracy. Anganwadis must be made the nodal centres for that
• Make ICDS a permanent department. Ensure adequate Budget allocation for ICDS as per recommendations of different expert committees and reports on India’s nutritional challenges
• Regularise all anganwadi workers as Grade III and helpers as Grade IV government employees
• Minimum wages of skilled workers to the tune of Rs.32,000 should be paid to anganwadi workers and that of semi skilled workers to the tune of Rs.26,000 to helpers. Remuneration of anganwadi employees should be linked up with consumer price index.
• Social security benefits including gratuity, pension, provident fund, medical facilities etc should be provided to all anganwadi workers and helpers; Immediate implementation of Supreme Court Order on Gratuity to the anganwadi workers and helpers in all states. Include anganwadi workers and helpers in ESI, EPF schemes; constitute national level welfare fund for anganwadi employees with contribution from the central and state governments to ensure this.
• No opening of mini anganwadi centres; convert all the mini anganwadi centres into full fledged anganwadi centres and appoint helpers. Pay equal wages and benefits to the anganwadi workers working the mini- anganwadi centres as those of the regular anganwadi workers immediately.
• Adequate allocation to ensure the cost of Poshan Abhiyan. All the expenses must be paid to the anganwadi employees.
• Stop harassment of workers in the name of ‘Poshan Tracker’ App. No linkage of wages of anganwadi workers and helpers to performance in poshan tracker. No mandatory linking of beneficiaries Aadhar. Tabs to be provided and training to be given to the workers. App to be made available in local languages. All the expenses for smart phones, data and maintenance must be paid in actual to the anganwadi workers and helpers.
• No Non- ICDS work to be given to anganwadi workers and helpers. BLO duty, different surveys etc should not be assigned to anganwadi workers.
• Release the data on nutritional status of children of the country every year. Yearly monitoring of nutritional status of children to be ensured.
• 10% annual increment should be given to both anganwadi workers and helpers. Pending this, the increment available to the anganwadi workers should be extended to the helpers also
• Anganwadi workers and helpers should be given paid medical leave.
• Good quality THR and Hot cook meal has to be ensured in AWC. All infrastructure facilities like safe drinking water, gas connection, store, gas stove, utensils, modern kitchen appliances like cooker, electric roti maker, idli maker etc has to be provided in the centre.
• Allot adequate funds for immediate operationalisation of all sanctioned anganwadi centres, provision of proper infrastructural facilities including pucca houses, drinking water, toilets etc.
• Open anganwadi centres to cover the entire population. Stop merger of anganwadi centres in various pretexts
• Convert all anganwadis into Anganwadi- cum Crèches to ensure safe place for the children of working mothers. Appoint adequate staff in anganwadi centres to ensure quality service.
• Fill up all the vacancies in ICDS including that of anganwadi workers, helpers, supervisors and CDPOs/ACDPOs.
• Till such pucca buildings are constructed, increase centre rents as per market rates in each places as per specifications. Minimum of Rs 15,000 in metropolitan cities, Rs.10,000 in urban areas and to Rs 5000 in rural areas; anganwadi centres in (sub-urban areas) ICDS projects categorised as Rural, but actually located in urban areas should be paid rent on par with the rent for the centres in the Urban projects
• Regulate pre-schools. Only scientific ECCE centres to be allowed. No such centres should be allowed in the vicinity of anganwadi centres under any other department or programme of the government.
• Strengthen the ECCE component of ICDS by imparting the necessary training to the anganwadi workers; provide uniforms, toys etc to the children in the 3- 6 age group to attract them to the anganwadi centres. Special drive by the governments to ensure enrolment of all children in anganwadis.
• Anganwadi Centre Leaving Certificate from the Anganwadi worker should be made compulsory for admission in government primary schools
• Ensure regular supply of good quality supplementary nutrition including egg and milk in sufficient quantities in all the anganwadi centres. No ban/restriction of any nutritional food items in the name of religion, caste etc. No ‘fortified’ food items which are not medically tested shall be distributed.
• Locally acceptable food freshly prepared in the anganwadi centres should be served to the beneficiaries and not ‘Ready to Eat food’ or Food from Centralised kitchen. There should be no Take Home Ration.
• Supervisors should be appointed only from the eligible anganwadi workers. No age limit or educational qualification restriction for anganwadi workers for appointment at the post of supervisors
• Eligible helpers should be promoted as anganwadi workers whenever there is vacancy of anganwadi workers’ post; there should be no age limit for promotion of such helpers
• Anganwadi workers and helpers should be given quota in the appointments for post like ANMs, Primary School Teachers, Village Servants, etc
• Proper guidelines for the appointment of anganwadi helpers should be formulated and implemented.
• The work of anganwadi workers and helpers should be clearly defined and no additional responsibilities should be given to them
• Uniform service rules should be applicable to all the anganwadi workers and helpers throughout the country. Ensure parity in wages and facilities for the anganwadi workers and helpers throughout the country.
• Without granting pension, there should not be any age bar for retirement.
• Monthly Project meetings should be conducted in all the Projects regularly, for both the anganwadi workers and helpers, and the day to day problems encountered by them while discharging their duties should be discussed in these meetings.
• Travel and daily allowances should be paid to all the anganwadi workers and helpers whenever they are called for any official meeting, including when they are called separately for the payment of their wages. TA/ DA should be paid for all distances and regularly every month.
• Cover all the serving anganwadi workers and helpers in all the existing insurance schemes including anganwadi karyakarti Bima Yojana without age bar. Government should pay the premium of all the employees
• Grievance Redress Committees should be constituted in all the states at the state and district levels by including representatives of the anganwadi employees’ unions.
• Summer holidays should be given in all the states and winter holidays to the affected states.
• There should be no restrictions on the political activities of the anganwadi employees, including the freedom to participate in any election, till such date as they are recognised as government employees, when the service conditions as applicable to government employees may be applied to them.
• Recognise AIFAWH as the representative of anganwadi employees in the country and hold regular discussion with its representatives on all issues concerning them.
• Corruption should be eradicated in the implementation of ICDS. Proper mechanism to stop corruption at all levels.
• Ensure the implementation of all the existing benefits like to the anganwadi workers and helpers. Ensure action against the defaulting officers and authorities Ensure additional payment for additional services within umbrella ICDS like PMMVY, Poshan Abhiyan etc.

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