Anganwadi workers and helpers under the Gournagar Block in Kailashahar’s Unakoti district have issued a strong warning to the government, threatening to suspend supplementary nutrition services if their long-pending dues are not cleared by July 31.
According to the workers, payments for tiffin expenses and mobile recharge allowances have remained pending for the past five months across all Anganwadi centres under the Gournagar Block. They warned that if the outstanding payments are not released within the stipulated deadline, all forms of tiffin services at every Anganwadi centre will be stopped from August 1.
The workers and helpers have already submitted a written complaint to the department. On Tuesday, they also submitted a 10-point memorandum to Unakoti District Inspector Bidyasagar Debbarma. The delegation was led by Geeta Rani Namas, Tuli Sinha, Shipra Ghosh, Sufia Begum, Hasna Begum, and several other representatives.
Speaking to reporters after submitting the memorandum, Anganwadi worker Shipra Ghosh said that, in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling, gratuity should be provided to Anganwadi workers and helpers without further delay. She also demanded the regularisation of their services, implementation of the principle of “equal pay for equal work,” and an increase in feeding bills in line with rising market prices.
Among the key demands, the workers sought advance payment of feeding bills for every Anganwadi sector, advance monthly payment of the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) bills, a monthly mobile recharge allowance of Rs 300 for each worker—or alternatively, mobile recharge to be arranged directly by the department for one year.
The memorandum also demanded immediate clearance of 28 months of pending contingency bills from the financial year 2023 to 2026, uniform distribution of incentive payments across all centres, and timely supply of quality ration every month.
The workers further urged the department not to impose punitive action over errors related to the Poshan Tracker or other work without first resolving issues through mutual understanding.
Shipra Ghosh said that if their demands are not implemented promptly, Anganwadi centres under the Gournagar Block will stop distributing Take Home Ration (THR) from August 1 in every project. Only rice and pulses will be distributed, while nutritious food items such as eggs, paneer, semolina (Suji), chickpeas, flattened rice (Chira), and puffed rice (Muri) for children and beneficiaries under the HCM category will no longer be provided.
She also announced that online work through mobile phones, including updating the Poshan Tracker, would be suspended as part of the protest.
The workers alleged that the department has not paid their mobile recharge allowance for the past two years. They claimed that they have been purchasing eggs, paneer, chickpeas, flattened rice, puffed rice, semolina and other food items with their own money to provide nutrition to schoolchildren and pregnant women, expecting reimbursement from the department. However, they said reimbursement for these expenses has not been made for the past six months.
Demanding immediate payment of all pending mobile recharge allowances and tiffin bills, the Anganwadi workers and helpers reiterated that if their dues remain unpaid, all tiffin services at Anganwadi centres under Gournagar Block will be suspended from August 1.