Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, May 8: As the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in J&K along with other parts of India, Anganwadi workers and helpers Saturday said while government praises frontline covid workers on one hand, it forgets “Anganwadi workers/helpers” who are working without safety gear and are without salaries since past many months.
Several Anganwadi workers from different areas of Kashmir said that they are on the ground as frontline workers and motivate people for vaccination centers besides other things but government has failed to provide them protective gears.
They said that they earn a meagre sum of Rs 3000-4000 a month but have been working without proper safety gears.
They added that it was their duty to help government at this crucial stage but not at the cost of “our lives and despite working on ground zero government is completely ignoring us.”
“We have demanded proper safety equipment from the government –mask, gloves and sanitizers. But we haven’t got any positive response yet,” said Sabiya, an Anganwadi worker from central Kashmir’s Budgam district. “The chances of Anganwadi workers contracting the infection are very high, as it is difficult to say which resident is a carrier of the infection, and we interact with so many. So government must provide PPE kits at an earliest.”
She added that uniform of three metres has been disturbed but “we are unable to understand what for the same is.” “An average woman needs 5 metres for a simple dress.”
Another Anganwadi worker from South Kashmir said that incentives for all health workers have been announced but “our work is being overlooked and we are without even salary from several months.”
They requested higher ups to look into the matter at an earliest stating that working without PPEs, they are very much vulnerable of contracting the virus and spreading the same to others as well.
“On contacting Deputy Director ICDS Kashmir Bilqees Jan, she said that nobody brought these issues in her notice and we will take up issue with concerned authorities.
She said that issue about protective gears will be taken with health department asap besides that Anganwadi workers and helpers get salary little late and very soon they will get it.
After uniform, she said that we have taken it from handloom department and if every uniform is short, we will definitely return it back.
