Gadchiroli Jan. 9 (District correspondent) The Anganwadi workers and Helpers in the district staged massive ‘Mukhyamantri Jabab Do’ agitation in the city and finally submitted the memorandum of their demands to the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde under tight police bandobasta.
It was really a contradictory event that was witnessed in the city with the women’s empowerment rally going on at the one hand while the thousands of women fighting on the streets for their rights that too when the state rulers were giving lectures on women and their empowerment.
The Anganwadi workers have been agitating for their demands for the last 35 days but the state government has not taken any serious cognizance of their agitation. Hence the Anganwadi workers staged the dharna in the city to attract the attention of the Chief minister as he was in the city to address the women empowerment rally.
The Anganwadi workers attached to AITUC and CITU staged the dharna at two different locations in the city-one at Indira Square and another at Abhinav Lawns where they shouted intensive slogans of their demands and insisted that the Chief Minister should visit them and accept their memorandums.
The police administration finally took some selective leaders of both the Workers Unions and arranged the meeting with the CM and the Dy. CM where memorandums were submitted to Mr. Eknath Shinde and Mr. Devendra Fadnavis and the issues were discussed.
The chief minister assured the delegation to convene a meeting in Mantralaya shortly and discuss the demands.
Minimum salary of Rs. 26,000 be given to the Anganwadi workers and Rs. 20,000 to the Helpers, increase of Rs. 10,000 per month in the honorarium to Group Promoters, and Rs. 7,000 per month to ASHA workers, benefit of pension, gratuity be given to the workers, Rs. 15,000 honorarium to the School Diet employees were the main demands of the agitating workers.
Dr. Mahesh Kopulwar, Devrao Chawde, Vinod Zodge led the agitation of AITUC while Prof. Rameshchandra Dahiwade, Amol Marakwar, Arun bhelke, Dr. Dharmarao Sarode led the agitation of CITU. Mr. Ramdas Jarate of PWP, Hansraj Undirwade of Republican Party, Raj Bansod of BRSP also visited the agitation and extended the support of their respective parties.
The Workers Unions have warned to intensify their agitation if these demands are not fulfilled by the government soon. A large number of Anganwadi Workers, Helpers, Group Promoters, ASHA Workers, School Diet employees participated in the agitation.
