The honorarium is extremely low and there is no incentive for sincere workers. The honorarium of CDPOs, Anganwadi Supervisors, Workers and helpers is not only very low, it is different for different states, the highest being Rs. 19,480 for workers and 13,330 for helpers in Puducherry- a sum which has been achieved through relentless struggles.
However, in U.P., the honorarium for the same category of workers in other departments are much higher. Up to the Fourth Pay Commission, the honorarium of the Anganwadi Supervisor was the same as that of a Primary School Principal but from the Fifth Pay Commission onwards, it became even lower than that of a temporary or para teacher. Today the CDPO is working on a grade pay of Rs. 4200, whereas according to the ICDS manual he/she is entitled to a pay equivalent to that of a BDO which is Rs.4600. The Anganwadi worker in U.P. was being given an honorarium of Rs. 4500 and a helper 2250 till 2015. After the Workers threatened
that they would go for an indefinite strike, the Government relented in 2015 and declared that with retrospective effect since March 1, the workers would get an honorarium of Rs.7000 and helpers Rs.4500; again, it was declared in May 2016 that these would be increased to 10,000 and 7000 respectively. But the increased honorariums would have to be paid by the institutions of local self-government, which would be a big financial burden for them. Often, the payment is delayed for months. The Anganwadi workers have also been demanding Pension Scheme, salary increase every year, fixing of quota during recruitment and promotion, immediate monetary relief in the case of accident or death due to illness The Employees of the ICDS say that though the Manual accords a respectably high status to the workers, they are in fact being treated as slaves by the Ministry bureaucracy.
The DPOs, CDPOs, Supervisors, Workers and Helpers are never made aware of the policy changes being made, and they remain oblivious of new schemes launched by the Government from time to time.
