Anganwadi workers stage protest, demand revocation of termination

New Delhi: Scores of Anganwadi workers on Friday staged a protest outside the office of the Women and Child Development department here, demanding the reinstatement of 884 terminated workers.

Led by the Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union (DSAWHU), the protesters said the dismissed workers have been struggling to make ends meet for the last one-and-a-half years.

Delegation of the the protesters met Navlendra Kumar Singh, Joint Director of the WCD department, and raised their concerns.

As many as 884 Anganwadi workers were issued termination notices and 11,942 given show-cause notices by the Delhi government for participating in a 39-day strike to demand an increase in their honorarium and bring in respectable working hours, the union said.

The strike was suspended after the then Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against the workers.