Khammam: Teachers at upgraded mini Anganwadi centres are upset with the Congress-led State government. They accuse the government of not delivering on its promise to increase their salaries, even though their centres were upgraded to main Anganwadis.
Previously, the BRS government had plans to promote mini Anganwadi teachers to main Anganwadi teachers and give them a salary hike. In December 2023, after the Congress party came to power, Women and Child Welfare Minister D Anasuya Seethakka approved a plan to upgrade 3,989 mini Anganwadis into main centres. Along with this, the government promised to increase the salary of mini Anganwadi teachers from Rs 7,500 to Rs 13,500.
In January 2024, after teachers protested for their salary hike, the government issued orders to implement the changes. These orders included assigning an assistant for each upgraded Anganwadi centre. For the first three months, teachers received the promised higher salary. However, after that, the government went back to paying them the lower salary of Rs 7,500, which they have been receiving for the past nine months.
Despite holding several protests, the teachers have not received the pay they were promised. G Padma, an Anganwadi teacher and leader of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), criticized the State government for ignoring the needs of the upgraded Anganwadi teachers. She urged Minister Seethakka to find a quick solution. According to Padma, the teachers have already submitted memorandums to local ministers, the secretary of the women’s development and child welfare department, and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. Yet, no action has been taken, forcing the teachers to protest again.
Teachers say it’s unfair that even after their centres were upgraded, they are still being paid the lower mini centre salary, despite taking on more work. Devi, an Anganwadi teacher from Kothagudem, said that when they asked the authorities about the issue, they were told there was a problem with the budget release. She and other teachers feel this is exploitation.
