Nagpur News: Minister for School Education, Women & Child Development, Cultural Affairs, General Administration, Information & Public Relations, Minorities Development and Protocol Fouzia Tahseen Khan has said that the State Government is sympathetic to the Balwadi workers and the problems faced by them. She said that the State Government recognizes their hard work and the important role they play while carrying out their duties and assured to resolve their problems at the earliest. However, the Balwadi workers sought assurance from the Chief Minister in resolving their problems.
The Minister said, “It is only the hard work put in by Balwadi workers, the malnutrition level in the state has come down to 16 per cent or less. We are looking for a day when the rate of malnutrition comes down to zero. The government also sees their problems with compassion. All their demands are justified. The government will certainly look into the demands and proposals and will soon meet their demands. Some of the demands are in the pipeline to redressed. Some of the demands like the Bhau Beej gift have been okayed and would soon be implemented,” the minister said.
Clarifying about the demand for medical leave, Fauzia Khan said that while other government staff gets only 8 days casual leave, Balwadi workers have been granted 16 days’ leave. The medical leave can be drawn from that. A separate medical leave cannot be granted now. She also clarified that it is a rule passed by the Central Government that every Balwadi worker should work for 300 days a year.
About the summer vacation demanded by the Balwadi workers, she said that she will put forth their demand before the government and it will be the prerogative of the government to accept it or reject it.
She also informed about the plan of the government to introduce Anganwadis in many villages and places in the city. About Rs 6 lakh have been given to PWD for constructing buildings.
While clarifying about the earlier circular of 23/4/ 2013 directing the Balwadi workers not to participate in any agitation, she said that in spite of the circular, all the assembled women are present here and even she is speaking to them.
The Minister also clarified that neither their work will be given to any NGOs nor will their work be made on contract basis.
However, in spite of all these assurances, the assembled Balwadi workers refused to listen to her pacifications and demanded that the Chief Minister should come and listen to their demands and redress their grievances. However, after much deliberations, Fauzia Khan accepted to take a team of 5-6 representatives of the Balwadi workers and have a meeting with the Chief Minister to listen to their demands and redress their problems. The women workers, who were determined, said in unison that they will wait at the site till a favourable reply comes from the CM. The leaders of the Balwadi workers seem to be inciting the workers. They were continuously asking them whether they were ready to sleep on the road till their demands are met and the women were shouting their ayes in unison.
Nearly 20,000 Anganwadi workers braving the cold weather squatted on the road from Morris College T-Point to Maheshwari Bhavan to press for their demands. The leaders of the Balwadi workers had exhorted the women to sit there till the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chauhan comes and listens to their demands.
