IMPHAL, July 14: Salaries and honorariums for Anganwadi helpers and workers under the ICDS as the first phase has already been sanction and handed over to the concerned CDPOs of separate districts for distribution, said Social Welfare Minister AK Mirabai this morning at her official quarter.
Addressing a press conference, she said that the Anganwadi workers and helpers have been demanding 14 months of due salaries and honorarium, however, due to funds backlog for the ICDS project, the department is presently unable to meet the demands.
However, concerned department officials including the Principal Secretary and Director of the department will be meeting with central concern officials to clear out the fund backlog, she said.
The ICDS project was initially started a centrally sponsored scheme implemented through the state government, however since some years back, the funding sharing pattern between the centre and the state has been modified to 90:10, she said.
She further elaborated that the fund backlog has been establish since 2007-08 and as such the government is unable to clear the due 14 months salaries and honorariums of the helpers and the workers as of now.
Since, the fund from the centre is sanctioned every three months and that too not in full, it has only aggravated the issue, the Minister said.
She added that the department is trying hard to distribute the backlog salaries and honorariums for the year 2012-13.
She elaborated that the centre has sanctioned the first phase installment for three months for the current year which is a total of Rs 1,481,83,000 which has already been handed over to the concern CDPOs district wise and process to release another installment of Rs 11,85,14000 for two months salaries and honorariums is in progress.
Continuing further, the only woman Minister of the present Congress government said that the concerned authority is trying to improve the infrastructure and facilities of the anganwadi centres within a short period of time.
She has further appealed to the Anganwadi workers and helpers to co-operate.
When asked about the old age pension by the media persons, she said that pensions for 82 percent beneficiaries of all Old Age pensions have already been deposited in their respective bank accounts and the old age pension for this time has been deposited through the District social welfare officer (DSWO) in the respective accounts of the beneficiaries and for the remaining 18 percent of old age pension work is in the full swing by the DSWO of the concern district to open the bank account she said
She further said that to stop child trafficking in the state for somehow state government has plans to set up 100 bedded children home under NLCRP project in all the districts so that children could stay there and get their education as well.