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Flaying the NDA government for “leaving it to the charity of big business” to provide children the right to food, health, and education, the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) has demanded immediate cancellation of an agreement between the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Cairn India Ltd, a subsidiary of the multinational Vedanta, to “to develop and modernise 4,000 next generation anganwadis.”
“In Budget 2015-16, the Government has changed the funding pattern, putting the entire responsibility of running the scheme on the state governments. It has drastically cut the Budget allocation for ICDS to mere Rs 8,335.77 in 2015-16 from Rs 18,195 crore last year, in spite the proposed allocation as per the Planning Commission in the 12th Plan at Rs 23,025 crore,” said a statement by A. R. Sindhu, General Secretary of the AIFAWH.
She said lack of funds had already started affecting the scheme in Bihar, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh as nutrition was not being supplied for the past four-five months and anganwadi employees had not been paid wages in Maharashtra since April 2015. She accused the Government of “privatising” anganwadis by handing them over to corporates and corporate NGOs such as Vedanta, JP Cements, Nandi Foundation, and ISKON.
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