Uttarakhand: The Dhami government has given a New Year’s gift to Anganwadi workers; they will now receive ₹1 lakh upon retirement

Anganwadi workers will receive a minimum of one lakh rupees in financial assistance upon retirement from the new financial year. This decision was made after reaching an agreement with Anganwadi worker organizations, and departmental minister Rekha Arya has issued instructions to this effect.

In a meeting held at the HRDC auditorium in the Secretariat, the Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Development said that currently, Anganwadi workers receive Rs. 35,000 to 40,000 upon retirement. Increasing this amount required a monthly contribution of Rs. 300 from the Anganwadi workers, hence their consent was necessary. Anganwadi workers retiring from April 1st of next year will benefit from this scheme.

The minister also informed that under the Single Women Self-Employment Scheme, 504 proposals have been approved from six districts so far. Applications from other districts are still being processed. She stated that a program to release funds to the 504 approved applicants will be held in the first week of January. The Nanda Gaura Yojana was also reviewed during the meeting. The minister said that this year, more than 45,000 applications have been received under this scheme, which is the highest number to date.

The application deadline is December 20th, so the number of applications may increase further. She instructed that funds be released to eligible applicants around January 15th. Regarding the promotion of Anganwadi workers, she said that a notification for 88 posts will be issued within a week.

A scheme to assist elderly women is also planned to be launched next year. Officials have been instructed in this regard. A fund of eight crore rupees is available for this scheme. Departmental Secretary Chandresh Kumar Yadav, Director Bansilal Rana, Deputy Director Vikram Singh, Neetu Phulera, and others were present at the meeting.