While flipping through pages of the record register, Sangeeta Shrivastava (37), an Anganwadi worker in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh mentions the poor quality of food being distributed in Anganwadi centres.
“You cannot have even one bite of this daliya [porridge] which is supposed to alleviate malnutrition”.
Anganwadi workers like Sangeeta are paid negligible salaries with no job security. From no electricity supply and subduing vaccine hesitancy to taking Anganwadi services door-to-door, the challenges of Anganwadi workers have multiplied during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) workers are only entitled to an honorarium, despite all their hard work to fulfil unrealistic expectations.
Thousands of Anganwadi workers have been sitting on an indefinite strike in Delhi and over 40,000 Anganwadi workers and helpers across Haryana have been protesting since December 8.
The workers in Haryana are demanding implementation of an announcement made by the Prime Minister back in September 2018 to increase the monthly honorarium by Rs 1,500 for Anganwadi workers and Rs 750 for helpers. Besides, the workers are demanding a dearness allowance, as is paid to government employees, and retirement benefits.
These workers are tasked with online capacity building using digital media and e-learning but Sangeeta complains of no electricity connection. “The government doesn’t bear the cost of electricity in Anganwadis,” says Sangeeta, adding “The government knows that the entire health infrastructure in rural and semi-urban areas rely on Anganwadi services and if we falter, it will prove to be fatal”.
“The government runs with an intent that if the Anganwadi workers are made permanent, they will be as useless as the government employees! They cannot afford this..,” she goes on. “I don’t ask for any permanency in my job, but then make all the health sector workers contractual,” she asserts with a wicked face.
Sunita Shukla (50),* another Anganwadi worker explains how employing a worker in multiple spaces is disrupting core Anganwadi services. “If I call kids in the centre, I am supposed to sit with them but if I receive an order from DLO (District Level Officer), I am supposed to go there too. “How can I be in two places at the same time?” she asks. Similarly, Anganwadi workers receive immediate orders like reporting at the hospital, reporting for COVID vaccination, for Samagra ID survey and for distributing TB related medicines, etc.
“Today, all Anganwadi centres in the country are barely able to do what they’re actually supposed to do because the expectations of the government are extraordinary. This order seriously needs re-consideration,” Sunita told Maktoob.
Taking Anganwadi Services and vaccination campaign from door-to-door
Since the Pandemic broke, Anganwadi workers have conducted multiple vaccination-related surveys in their wards. They visited door-to-door initially to check COVID-related symptoms, distribute medicines with their Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) escorts. And several times to record the number of people vaccinated and to distribute masks and invitation cards to motivate and promote vaccination. Taking Anganwadi services to the doorsteps at the height of the pandemic, these workers risked their lives each day in exchange for a meagre sum of around 5000- Rs. 10000 rupees per month. “Anganwadi workers have fought a 7-year-long battle seeking some stability in their jobs and for a substantial salary but nobody pays a heed,” says Rashmi Sootrakar(37)*, another Anganwadi worker in the Kharagpur Nagar Panchayat in Tikamgarh district. Even after 10 years of her job in the Anganwadi centre.
“Take Home Ration (THR) has been distributed by Anganwadi workers and Anganwadi helpers for zero to three-year-old children, three to six-year-old malnourished children, pregnant and nursing mothers,” says Rashmi.
With an unreliable and reckless health infrastructure, the Anganwadi workers feel overburdened as they are tasked with a service delivery model including door-to-door distribution of take-home ration, online capacity building, creating community support, shifting to digital media and e-learning. “We’re always tasked with extra work from other departments like Education and Health but are only paid for one job. The extra work during elections, census and COVID are dumped upon field workers like us”, says Kavita Prajapati(32)*, an Anganwadi helper.
On-field scuffle and fighting vaccine hesitancy
Chitra Vishwakarma(39)*, an Anganwadi worker recalls being told “You are shamelessly coming at our door-step every day” by a local ward resident. “It is our duty to motivate under-nourished children to come to Anganwadis but their parents don’t want that”, says Chitra with a feeble smile. She says “We are given unrealistic targets and if we don’t meet them, we are liable to pay-cuts.
If somebody doesn’t want to send their kids to us, who is at fault? If a kid dies of malnutrition, we are blamed. How do we force someone into admitting their kids to Anganwadis? We bear the consequences of things that are not in our control.”
During the second wave of COVID-19, an increasing number of cases had put a strain on the health facilities. As the government-administered Covid vaccine doses in large numbers, the Anganwadi workers played a notable role in taking this drive to the most vulnerable sections of society. Yet, they remain poorly paid, overworked and barely acknowledged. These workers have to face vaccine hesitancy as they visit from door-to-door to motivate people for vaccination. “We don’t need any vaccination, nobody in our family has been infected. This vaccine causes infection,” Chitra recalls being told.
The Dual Battle
In pre-COVID times, India’s army of Anganwadi workers led the country’s fight against malnutrition. These women have now joined a new fight: the fight against COVID-19.
According to a report titled “Response to COVID-19 by the Anganwadi ecosystem in India” by KPMG India Private Limited, the impact of COVID-19 on Anganwadis has been two-fold. “Challenges in the distribution of ration” and “Short and medium-term disruptions.” Among other things, the Pandemic ruptured the effective service delivery of key Anganwadi services.
According to the same report, Anganwadi workers in a few rural communities were conducting door-to-door visits to distribute dry ration and spread awareness on COVID-19 without access to protective gear.
Furthermore, children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are at a higher risk of malnutrition and illness. Several short and medium-term problems have resulted from the Pandemic-induced lockdown. The provision of hot prepared meals and snacks to children enrolled in Anganwadis has remained terminated.
Significant disruptions have been caused in health and nutrition, education through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes.
In the Post-Covid era, Anganwadis might shift to e-learning, which would need better infrastructure. Moreover, it would be critical to ensure precautionary measures during all indoor and outdoor Anganwadi operations.
(Some names have been changed to protect privacy)*
Sneha Richhariya is a student of Convergent Journalism at Jamia Millia Islamia. She is interested in rural and development based issues.
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