ICDS workers in West Bengal protest against delay in meeting demands including budget allocation

Kolkata 

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers who are responsible for the improvement of nutrition and health of children are still awaiting their budget allocation, months after the declarations were made by the West Bengal government in February. Workers’ unions took out protest rallies in the city to demand increased budget allocation in nutrition, job security and permanent employment. 

The rally was led by West Bengal Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union and All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) union of Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist). They took out three rallies and filed a deputation with the Governor of West Bengal, one at Nabanna (State Secretariat), addressing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and one at Bikash Bhawan (Child Welfare Department). 

Union Secretary Madhavi Pandit said that if the demands are not met through the peaceful protest deputation, the workers will have to go on a larger strike in the coming days. 

Speaking to The Hindu, another leader and ICDS worker from Murshidabad, Arifa Begum, who led the protest rally that went to Nabanna, said that as they do much of their work online, they have not been provided with smartphones to sustain the work.

“The CM has only assured us, but there is no action on the ground. Both mother and child will lose out on their basic rights if we do not get the bare minimum. They give us ₹167 for mobile recharge. In the current economy, this is not even enough for a basic recharge to get enough data to do our work,” Ms. Begum added. 

The workers also demanded that they get permanent job roles and fixed salaries for their labourious work. Nanda Patra, a leader of AIUTUC said that the ICDS workers are demanding that they get life insurance if anyone dies during work and a pension scheme when they retire to offer them better security. 

On February 12, the West Bengal State budget for 2025-26 allocated ₹200 crore for the purchase of smartphones for about 70,000 ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) and Anganwadi workers. But workers say that they have not received any benefits from it even after five months. 

Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers (Accredited Social Health Activists) are the frontline healthcare workers in every community across districts and rural areas in States, helping bridge the gap between people and public healthcare systems. A major part of their job role is to provide essential services including nutritional supplements to children under six, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.

However, in most States across India they are not permanent employees and do not have any employee benefits and struggle with budget issues. They are paid on contractual or honorarium basis which had led to many protests across the nation, including multiple in West Bengal.