Anganwadi, ASHA, Midday Meal Workers Seek Labour Rights As Bhopal Declaration Raises Nationwide Demands

In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, over 60 lakh women who work in Anganwadi centers, midday meal services and the National Health Mission find themselves classified as 'volunteers' rather than 'workers'. This lack of proper classification denies them the benefits and protections afforded by labor laws. The third National Convention on Children's Right to Food and Nutrition, which concluded in the city on Sunday, has called for these women to be officially recognized as workers.

Approximately 27 lakh Anganwadi workers and assistants, 10 lakh ASHA workers and 25 lakh cooks-cum-helpers are in need of this official recognition. The convention, attended by over 400 representatives from 18 states, emphasized that no child should miss out on Anganwadi services, mid-day meals, scholarships or other entitlements due to issues with Aadhaar or related technical problems.

They urged the discontinuation of intrusive systems like facial recognition, e-KYC and mandatory apps for children. The convention also pledged to halt the privatization and commercialization of government food and nutrition programs for children. On the final day, the declaration pushed for national-level 'Anganwadi Theek Karo' campaigns, state-level discussions on children's right to food, and coordinated actions nationwide for children's right to food.

The declaration emphasized the need for effective social audits of ICDS and PM POSHAN initiatives, an increase in Anganwadi centers in Tribal and remote areas, improvements in their basic infrastructure, restrictions on junk food within 200 meters of schools, and the development of kitchen gardens in schools.