Nearly 50k Anganwadi workers stage protest in Bhubaneswar demanding pay hike, pension

By Sukant Mohanty

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 24: Nearly 50,000 Anganwadi workers and helpers from across Odisha staged a massive protest at Lower PMG Square in Bhubaneswar on Monday, pressing for an 11-point charter of demands, including higher salaries, monthly pensions, and recognition as government employees.

The protesters called for the immediate implementation of revised honorariums—Rs 18,000 per month for Anganwadi workers and Rs 9,000 for helpers—along with service benefits on par with regular state government staff. They also urged the government to upgrade their roles in line with the National Education Policy (NEP).

“We are asking to be recognised as teachers under the National Education Policy,” said one of the agitators.

Their demands also included monthly pensions of Rs 5,000 for retired Anganwadi workers and Rs 3,000 for helpers, and a formal shift from the term “disengagement” to “retirement” in official records. The workers said the existing terminology is humiliating for long-serving frontline staff and sought dignified acknowledgment of their service.

The agitators alleged that many assurances offered by the state government during previous protests remain unfulfilled. “The government keeps giving assurances but is negligent in fulfilling them,” said a protestor, adding that several frontline workers have yet to receive the mobile phones required for field duties. “We have to borrow phones from our husbands and children… those who cannot face loss of pay,” she added.

With the winter session of the Assembly approaching, the workers said they timed their protest to ensure their demands are heard without hindering legislative proceedings. They emphasised that the agitation was not confrontational but aimed at securing essential facilities needed to carry out government-assigned responsibilities.

“We do not want to hamper the government’s work, but we want it to recognise our issues,” said another protestor, stressing that the demands were not personal incentives but necessary for effective service delivery. “These demands will only help us complete government-mandated tasks.”

State government officials had not commented on the matter at the time of filing this report. The protesters said they would continue their agitation until concrete action is taken.