Context: Maharashtra’s Anganwadi workers and helpers have been on strike for 46 days now. They have been demanding basic nutrition for children, whose per-day food cost for two meals has been ₹8 a child since 2014 and increase the rent for centres.
About Anganwadi Services:
- Anganwadi means ‘courtyard shelter’, a type of rural child care centre in India.
- It was started in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services program to combat child hunger and malnutrition.
- The Anganwadi system, launched under the Anganwadi Services Scheme, renamed as Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of women and child development.
- It is one of the flagship programmes of the Government of India providing early childhood care and development of the beneficiaries i.e., children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers through a large network of Anganwadi workers (AWW) and Helpers (AWH).
- Anganwadi workers (AWW) and Helpers (AWH) are the basic functionaries of the ICDS who run the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), and implement the ICDS scheme.
- Anganwadi Centres (AWCs): Provide a platform for rendering all services under the scheme.
- A single Anganwadi worker (AWW), chosen from the community, manages one village or area. These workers undergo training in various areas such as health, nutrition, and childcare.
- There are a total 14 lakh AWCs sanctioned across the country out of which 13.63 lakh AWCs are operational till 2018(PIB).
Criteria for Recruitment of Anganwadi Workers
- As per guidelines, Anganwadi Workers under the Anganwadi Services Scheme are selected from the local village by a Committee constituted by the State Government/ UT Administration.
- The minimum prescribed qualification is Matriculation and age limit is 18-35 years for engagement of Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs).
Anganwadi System: How Does It Operate?
- Primarily established for rural development, the Anganwadi system is managed by Anganwadi workers who cater to individual villages within a specified area.
- These workers, who hail from the community itself, undergo approximately four months of training in various domains including health, nutrition, and child care.
- Each Anganwadi worker is responsible for approximately 1000 individuals and reports to a supervisor known as the Mukhya Sevika.
Services provided by Anganwadi workers:
- It is a part of the Indian public health care system.
- Basic health care activities include contraceptive counselling and supply, supplementary nutrition, non-formal pre-school education, nutrition, and health education, immunization, and health check-up
- The centres may be also used as depots for oral rehydration salts and basic medicines.
Benefits granted to Anganwadi Workers and Helpers
- Honorarium: AWWs and AWHs, being honorary workers, are paid monthly honoraria as decided by the Government from time to time, which is uniform in all States/UTs.
- AWWs at main Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) are paid an honorarium of ₹ 4,500/- per month and AWHs are paid ₹2,250/- per month.
- In addition to the honorarium paid by the Government of India, most of the States/UTs are also giving monetary incentives to these workers out of their own resources.
- Leave: They are allowed paid absence of 180 days of maternity leave and 20 days annual leave.
- Award: In order to motivate AWWs/and give recognition to good voluntary work, a Scheme of Award for AWWs has been introduced, both at the National and State level.
- The Award comprises Rs.50,000/- cash and a Citation to AWW and Rs.40,000/- to AWHs.
- Uniform: Government has made a provision for a set of two Uniform (saree/suit per annum @ Rs.500/- each).
- Insurance coverage: AWWs and AWHs been covered under, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima yojana (PMSY) and Anganwadi Karyakartri Bima yojana (AKBY).
Importance of Anganwadi programme in India:
- Accessibility and affordability of healthcare: Providing the right healthcare facilities to the rural population of India especially mother and child remains a significant challenge. Many individuals are unaware of the programs available to them.
- Establishment of social connections within the community: These centers offer women a sense of involvement in their communities, providing opportunities for participation in activities they might not otherwise have access to.
- Nutritional support: Every child requires proper nutrition for healthy development, both physically and mentally. Adequate nutrition in early childhood increases the likelihood of developing into a healthy adult.
- Access to Government programs: Anganwadi workers play a crucial role as the primary source of access to government schemes for rural communities. Through their assistance, mothers and parents become informed about essential health services and benefits.
- Providing early childhood care and education: Children are heavily impacted by their surroundings and the people around them during their early life and early childhood care and education (ECCE) is more than just school readiness.
- It attempts to develop a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs holistically in order to lay a firm and comprehensive basis for lifetime learning and wellbeing.
- Awareness and counselling: They provide valuable information to mothers and communities about proper health care practices, nutrition, and hygiene. Additionally, they offer counselling on family planning, immunizations, and the importance of education.
- Poverty alleviation: By addressing health and nutritional needs, the Anganwadi programme indirectly contributes to poverty alleviation. Healthy and well-nourished individuals are better positioned to participate in education and employment opportunities, breaking the cycle of poverty.
- Women empowerment: The programme involves a significant number of female workers, contributing to women's empowerment by providing them with employment opportunities. It also promotes the active involvement of women in decision-making processes related to healthcare and nutrition.
Government initiative:
- Collaboration with MGNREGA: The government, in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), is undertaking the construction of 400,000 Anganwadi Centers (AWCs) nationwide as part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme.
- Digitalization of Anganwadi Services: AWCs are digitally strengthened with smartphones for POSHAN tracking systems, and monitoring devices.
- Enhanced training approach: The Ministry has developed a thorough training strategy for Anganwadi Services personnel, ensuring regular training sessions. Anganwadi Workers undergo a 26-day job training program, focusing on improving their knowledge, comprehension, and skills pertaining to various Acts, Policies, Programs related to women and children. The training also covers the establishment of dynamic Anganwadi Centers and the effective execution of Early Childhood Care and Education activities.
Challenges in functioning of Anganwadi services:
According to Niti Aayog:
- Cramped and poorly ventilated: Many AWCs across all sampled states, especially in urban areas, are cramped and poorly ventilated. They do not have enough space for the children to play and learn properly. Many AWCs do not have equipment like swings, sand/water areas etc. due to lack of space and/or funding.
- Insufficient AWCs: Discrepancies exist between the approved and functioning AWCs in different states, with disparities ranging from 2% to 8.37% (PIB).
- Lack of basic facilities: More than 80% Anganwadi centres in the rural areas of the state lack basic toilet facilities and do not have access to safe drinking water.E.g.: In Odisha more than 80% Anganwadi centres in the rural areas lack basic toilet facilities.
- Lack of awareness: The community lacks awareness about the role of an AWC and the services offered by AWC. Moreover, the AWC has a perception of poor service delivery in terms of Pre-School Education (PSE), especially in rural Gujarat and in Rajasthan.
- Operational ineffectiveness: Despite the essential requirement of smartphones for ICDS, numerous AWWs have not been provided with these devices, thereby impacting their operational effectiveness.
- Issues with honorarium: AWWs are not officially recognized as government employee status and receive monthly honorariums well below the minimum wage, ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000. The inadequacy of compensation presents challenges in fulfilling basic needs, affecting their commitment to their duties. There is also the issue of delays in receiving honorariums contributing to financial insecurity and hardships for AWWs.
- Issues with budgetary allocation: The scheme experiences inconsistency in the percentage or delays in budget allocations over the years. For example: In Delhi the budget assigned to rent a place for AWCs is insufficient. The rental norms of Rs.6000/- per month do not allow renting a reasonably hygienic room for the functioning of the ICDS, leading to improper planning and implementation, along with non-adherence to financial and physical targets.
- Unpaid duties: AWWs are frequently assigned various tasks, including Covid-19 duties, Census duties, or implementing government schemes, without receiving additional financial compensation. The resulting heavy workloads contribute to burnout, impacting the quality of services they are able to provide.
- Inadequate human capital: Several States/UTs, such as Telangana, Bihar, and Karnataka, face a significant number of vacant positions for Supervisors, AWWs, and AWHs.
- Lack of proper training: The initial training for AWWs lacks sufficient preparation to address the multifaceted challenges they face on a daily basis.
- Non- availability of instruments for child development: Height and weight measuring instruments in AWCs.
Measures for empowerment of Anganwadi workers:
- Need for Community Hub models for AWCs: Anganwadi Hubs can be developed by combining three to four AWCs in areas with high population density.
- Addressing equipment shortages: Immediate attention required for the availability of height and weight measuring instruments in AWCs.
- Infrastructure assessment and funding allocation: The Government should set up a committee to identify the AWCs with bad infrastructure that is classroom, kitchen, building and playground and such centres should be allocated more funds to improve their infrastructure.
- Priority focus on basic amenities: Prioritizing the establishment of drinking water and toilet facilities in AWCs for improved service delivery.
- Corporate partnership for infrastructure enhancement: The Identified AWCs can be referred to big corporations, so that it can be adopted by them to improve their infrastructure.
- Promoting awareness and attendance: As the AWs suffer from Low attendance of beneficiaries it becomes a task of the AWCs to promote the services of AW among the needy by rural communities. Pamphlets can be issued to the rural houses about the services rendered by the AWCs.