Ahmedabad: Anganwadi workers and ASHA facilitators across Gujarat launched a protest over long-pending demands, beginning with a boycott of online work. The agitation started on March 5 after the govt allegedly failed to fulfil assurances given in 2022 regarding improved facilities and salary revisions.According to the Gujarat Anganwadi Employees Organisation and the Gujarat ASHA Health Worker Union, more than 80 percent of anganwadi workers already stopped performing online tasks. They claimed that the govt’s mobile application was weak and that many workers did not have capable smartphones, making digital work difficult. More workers were expected to join the protest in the coming days.The workers also pointed out that the govt promised to provide new smartphones for online work, but no such provision was announced even in the 2026 state budget. Additionally, assurances made by ministers about increasing their honorarium were not yet fulfilled.As part of the first phase of the agitation, workers stopped online activities but continued to run anganwadi centres and carry out all offline services. They demanded an urgent meeting with the govt to resolve 12 pending demands, warning that the protest would continue until their issues were addressed.
