JD(S), BJP bat for anganwadi workers

Bengaluru: Overnight protest by hundreds of Anganwadi workers demanding increase in wages in the state capital rocked the Assembly on Tuesday with both opposition BJP and ruling Congress charging each other with not being sensitive to their issues.  As BJP and JD(S) demanded that the government concede Anganwadi workers demand and fix their wage at minimum Rs 10,000 per month, treasury benches led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Central of reducing its share in the centrally sponsored programme and putting the burden on the state government.  The protest by hundreds of anganwadi workers who are  camping at the Freedom Park here, with their charter of demand that includes wage hike, entered the second day on Tuesday.

Women workers, a few of them along with their children  are protesting overnight in an open area, despite being faced  by challenges like limited availability of food, water and  other basic facilities including toilet.

Taking up the issue in the Assembly, former CM  Kumaraswamy said that the demand by anganwadi workers was just, as they are used in works relating to implementation of various government schemes.