Anganwadi workers in UP to receive an honorarium of ₹12,000 and helpers ₹6,000; they will also get smartphones..

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a major package of benefits for the 2.91 lakh Anganwadi workers and helpers in Uttar Pradesh. The monthly honorarium for Anganwadi workers will be raised from ₹8,000 to ₹12,000, and for helpers, from ₹4,000 to ₹6,000. Additionally, workers, helpers, and their families will receive cashless medical treatment facilities worth up to ₹5 lakh annually. They will now receive three sarees instead of two. The CM also announced plans to transform Anganwadi centers into 'smart' centers through the use of smartphones and real-time data.

**CM Announces Four Major Benefits**
Chief Minister Yogi was addressing a felicitation ceremony for Anganwadi workers and helpers organized under the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) scheme in Ayodhya Dham. While approximately 12,000 Anganwadi workers and helpers were present in Ayodhya, ministers, MPs, MLAs, and Anganwadi staff from all 75 districts joined the event virtually. Ahead of 'Poshan Maah' (Nutrition Month) starting Wednesday, the Chief Minister announced these four key benefits: an honorarium hike, cashless health facilities, an extra saree, and smartphones.

The Chief Minister noted that when the government took office in 2017, Anganwadi workers received an honorarium of only ₹3,000. The government had previously raised this to ₹8,000 by linking it to a performance-based system, and it is now being increased to ₹12,000. Similarly, the honorarium for helpers is being raised—having previously gone from ₹1,500 to ₹4,000, it is now being increased to ₹6,000.

**1.28 Lakh Smartphones for Anganwadi Workers**
In the first phase, 1.28 lakh smartphones have been provided. This will enable the real-time recording of scheme-related data and simplify the work of Anganwadi workers. Linking the role of Anganwadi workers to the future of children, the CM recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had compared their role to that of 'Mother Yashoda' in 2018. After their own mothers, young children have their first interactions with Anganwadi workers and helpers. Over the past nine years, more than 70,000 Anganwadi centers in the state have been streamlined and organized.

The government aims to provide a dedicated building for every Anganwadi center. To achieve this, buildings will be constructed using funds from the State Finance Commission or through a separate budget allocation. Criticizing previous governments, the Chief Minister stated that prior to 2017, Anganwadi centers were in a dilapidated state; children had to bring their own mats to sit on, and there was a lack of drinking water and essential equipment. Although the central government provided funds, the supply of nutritional supplements was controlled by a mafia; in fact, the distribution of nutritional food for children in the state was run by a liquor mafia. While the government and the mafia ruined the system, it was the Anganwadi workers and helpers who had to bear the brunt of the disrepute.

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