Rush before polls? Recruitment of anganwadi workers starts in 4 districts

Bathinda: With barely couple of months to go before state assembly elections, the social security, women and children development department has started the process of appointing anganwadi workers and helpers in various districts.
Anganwadi workers get Rs 5,600 per month as honorarium, workers at mini centres get Rs, 3,200 per month and helpers get Rs 2,800 per month.Punjab has nearly 26,000 anganwadi centres where one worker and a helper is posted under the integrated child development service (ICDS) scheme. “Going by levels of unemployment in Punjab, many people try to get the positions despite such low honorarium,” said an official of the department.
Earlier, the mass recruitment of anganwadi workes was held in 2011 and after that vacancies had been filled periodically as per the local needs. “Anganwadi workers and helper have been protesting seeking increase in the honorarium at par with Haryana, where workers get Rs 7,500 per month and helpers Rs 3,500 per month,” said Anganwadi Mulazam Union president Gurmail Kaur.
Four districts of Barnala, Sangrur, Patiala, and Ludhiana have released advertisements for the 416 posts of workers and helpers in anganwadi centres. Sources said other districts too have been asked to start the process of recruitment, according to their need.
Gurmail alleged, “We have information that ruling party politicians will try to interfere in the recruitment process and ask their recommended names to be appointed. We will resist that and try that only deserving candidates are selected.”
On the other hand, Punjab social security department director Sukhwinder Singh said, “The vacancies of workers and helpers are being filled at district-level as per vacancies and need of anganwadi centres. There is no politics behind it.”