Non-payment of salary of ICDS Workers; Jolly writes to Minister of WCD

Port Blair, Jan 29: Mr. Vishal Jolly, Core‐Committee Member & Former State President, BJP‐A & N Islands and Member, Home Ministry Advisory Committee written a letter on dated 27.01.2021, to  the Minister for Women and Child Development, the Lt Governor A&N Islands and Mr. Y Sathya Kumar, National Secretary and Prabhari (BJP Andaman and Nicobar), BJP Headquarters, New Delhi, regarding ICDS Workers’ non-payment of salary issue due to non-release of GIA. He stated the plight of ICDS employees namely CDPO’s, Mukhya Sevika’s, Senior Investigator/Statistical Assistant and 720 Anganwadi workers under the UT Administration of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

He pointed out that, the ICDS employees work on the ground implementing what is seen as the world’s largest, most unique and outreach programme namely Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), comprising supplementary nutrition, immunization, health checkup and referral services, pre-school non formal education through various programmes and schemes namely Anganwadi Services Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PM-MVY), National Creche Scheme, Poshan Abhiyaan, Scheme for Adolescent Girls, Child Protection Scheme, Old Age Home etc.

These ICDS employees also did a commendable job during the present pandemic, playing key role helping UT Administration in tackling and managing the crisis situation with their round-the-clock presence on the ground, with delivery of important services and support to the needy.

However, the ICDS employees, forming the backbone of Governments social sector welfare scheme implementation, are not getting their salaries for the past several months due to which they are facing acute financial crisis situation in their day-to-day life. It has been reported that about 720 Anganwadi workers have not been paid central share of honorarium since June 2020. Similarly CDPO’s, Mukhya Sevika’s, Senior Investigator/Statistical Assistant under Directorate of Social Welfare, A&N Administration have not been paid their salaries since September 2020, reportedly due to non-release of GIA by the WCD Ministry.

Keeping in view the important role played by ICDS employees and the difficulties faced by them due to non-payment of salaries for the past several months, I humbly seek your kind intervention in the matter and request that necessary orders may kindly be issued to the concerned for release of pending salaries to ICDS employees at the earliest.

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