New Delhi, 16 December (H.S.): Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi urged the Centre on Tuesday to double its contribution to the honorarium of ASHA and Anganwadi workers while swiftly filling nearly three lakh vacancies in the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) during her Zero Hour intervention in Rajya Sabha.

Frontline Women Bear Heavy Burden on Shoestring Budgets

Gandhi highlighted the plight of ASHA workers, Anganwadi staff, and National Rural Livelihood Mission community resource persons, who deliver vital public services like vaccinations, maternal health, and family welfare yet grapple with excessive workloads and paltry remuneration—ASHA volunteers receive limited stipends and social security as mere volunteers, while Anganwadi workers and helpers get just ₹4,500 and ₹2,250 monthly from the Centre respectively.

Vacancies Deprive Millions, Census Lag Exacerbates Shortfall

She noted that around three lakh ICDS posts remain vacant across levels, denying essential services to countless children and mothers, worsened by outdated 2011 census data falling short of population norms; Gandhi appealed for collaborative state-centre action to fill all vacancies promptly, ensure timely payments, appoint extra ASHA workers in villages over 2,500 population, double Anganwadi staff for early childhood education, and enhance central funding shares.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar