Rally of ICDS and ASHA Workers

Rally of ICDS and ASHA Workers

A joint rally and deputation of ICDS and ASHA Workers to the Governor of West Bengal was organized on 11th January 2013 at Kolkata by Paschimbanga Rajya ICDS Karmi Samity. The meeting was attended by more than twenty thousand workers and helpers of ICDS projects with ASHA workers also present in good number. The meeting was presided over by Aratri Dasgupta and Neelima Maitra.

The rally was inaugurated by Shyamal Chakraborty president state CITU. He spoke about how these workers are deprived of the minimum facilities as workers like Medical leave, Pension, Gratuity, ESI etc. In many anganwadi centres there is no place to sit and run the pre-school. There is no drinking water, and no toilets. The nominal honorarium is also not paid regularly. He supported the demands of the ICDS and ASHA workers and demanded measures to immediately stop the brutal attacks on ICDS workers and women at large.

Among other speakers were Kali Ghosh, Dipak Das Gupta, leaders of CITU and Surya Kanta Mishra, leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, who spoke about what is happening in the State Government, of the role of the ministers, mainly the Chief Minister.

Ratna Datta, General Secretary of the organization, called upon the gathering to participate in and make the two day General Strike on February 20, 21 a success. She reminded them that they have to play a vital role in the ensuing Panchayat election in which a large number of workers and helpers have been nominated as candidates. She announced the union decision to participate in the two days general strike and instead to give the supplementary nutrition feeding to the beneficiaries on two Sundays which follow the strike.

Neelima Maitra spoke about the restructuring programme that the Central Government is planning and how this will hamper the whole system in which this project is running now. The cash transfer will also harm the project. We oppose all anti worker anti beneficiary moves of the government she said. She demanded that the Central Government should allocate enough money to build pucca buildings for centres, adequate drinking water, kitchen and store room etc, food should be of good quality and the workers should get extra remuneration for extra work.