Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir’s Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) are among the lowest paid in the country when it comes to additional incentives provided by the Union Territories and States, according to data presented by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development in the Lok Sabha.
The Jammu and Kashmir Government provides a monthly top-up of Rs 600 to Anganwadi Workers and Rs 300 to Helpers, in addition to the Centre’s honorarium of Rs 4,500 and Rs 2,250 respectively. AWWs and AWHs also receive performance-linked incentives of Rs 500 and Rs 250 per month.
With the UT contribution included, an Anganwadi Worker in Jammu and Kashmir receives Rs 5,600 per month, while a Helper gets Rs 2,550, excluding performance-based incentives.
The data revealed that Jammu and Kashmir’s additional payment of Rs 600 for AWWs is the second-lowest among States and UTs providing such incentives. For Helpers, the Rs 300 top-up also remains among the lowest in the country.
In comparison, several states provide substantially higher incentives. Kerala offers an additional Rs 8,300 to AWWs and Rs 6,800 to AWHs, while Tamil Nadu provides Rs 9,780 and Rs 6,270 respectively. Haryana gives Rs 10,250 to AWWs and Rs 5,650 to AWHs. Goa reported the highest additional incentive range, with AWWs receiving Rs 15,000 to Rs 23,000.
The Ministry informed Parliament that the central honorarium for Anganwadi Workers was last revised in October 2018, when payments were increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500 for AWWs and from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,250 for AWHs.
The Centre stated that States and UTs are free to provide additional financial incentives from their own resources, resulting in significant variations across regions.
The Ministry said Anganwadi Workers and Helpers are honorary workers engaged from local communities and provide services related to child care, nutrition and development under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.
The government also highlighted welfare measures for workers, including annual leave, maternity benefits, insurance coverage, healthcare benefits under Ayushman Bharat and expanded promotion opportunities. Under the scheme, 50 per cent of Anganwadi Worker posts can be filled through eligible Helpers, while 50 per cent of Supervisor posts can be filled through promotion of eligible Workers.
The Centre has also encouraged States and UTs to enrol Anganwadi Workers and Helpers under pension and insurance schemes, besides providing smartphones and the Poshan Tracker application to improve monitoring and digitisation of Anganwadi services.
