Srinagar, July 15: General Secretary JKPM Shehla Rashid has asked the Government to examine the demands of Anganwadi workers who have been protesting throughout the state against a recent order passed by the SAC about the honorarium disbursement by the PRI (Panchayati Raj Institutions).
As per the new rules, the Chairman of the PRI (who is either the local Sarpanch or the Ward Councillor) must be ‘satisfied’ before the honoraria are released. Earlier, the honoraria would be released at the project level by the Child Development Project Officer.
Backing the demands of the Anganwadi workers, JKPM President Dr. Shah Faesal took to social media and urged the government to “immediately address their concerns and find a way out of this.”
Shehla Rashid added that, “The new rules are problematic, as they make women who are employees of the government subservient to political functionaries – a situation that makes them vulnerable to political pressures. Such an order can potentially also pave way for exploitation of these women. This order must be reconsidered, as the stakeholders clearly have massive concerns about this.”
