Bhubaneswar: Nearly 50,000 Anganwadi workers and helpers from across Odisha staged a massive demonstration at Lower PMG Square in Bhubaneswar on Monday, pressing for an 11-point charter of demands that includes higher salaries, monthly pensions, and recognition as government employees.
The protesters sought immediate implementation of revised wages—Rs 18,000 per month for Anganwadi workers and Rs 9,000 for helpers—along with service benefits equivalent to regular state government staff. They also demanded that their roles be formally upgraded in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP).
“We are asking to be recognised as teachers under the National Education Policy,” one of the agitators said.
The demonstrators further demanded monthly pensions of Rs 5,000 for retired Anganwadi workers and Rs 3,000 for helpers, while urging the government to officially replace the term “disengagement” with “retirement.” They argued that long-serving workers face humiliation due to the terminology used in official records and called for respectful acknowledgment of their service.
The protestors alleged that several assurances given by the state government during earlier agitations remain unfulfilled. “The government keeps giving assurances but is negligent in fulfilling them,” she said, adding that many frontline workers have still not received the mobile phones required for field duties. “We have to borrow phones from our husbands and children… those who cannot face loss of pay,” she added.
With the winter session of the Assembly approaching, the workers said they planned their protest strategically to ensure their demands are heard without disrupting legislative proceedings. Participants stressed that their agitation was not confrontational but aimed at securing basic facilities necessary for executing government-assigned responsibilities.
“We do not want to hamper the government’s work, but we want it to recognise our issues,” a protestor said, emphasising that the demands were not personal incentives but essential for effective service delivery. “These demands will only help us complete government-mandated tasks.”
State government officials had not commented on the matter till this report was filed. The protesters said they would continue their agitation until concrete measures are taken.
