Agitations across AP build up pressure on YSRCP top brass

Vijayawada: The agitation continued by over one lakh Anganwadi workers across Andhra Pradesh and 60,000-odd sanitary workers, the ultimatum served by the ASHA workers, village and ward volunteers to go on strike demanding job security and increase in wages have turned into a thorn in the flesh of the YSRCP Government a few months ahead of general elections.

Even as the talk of advancing the Assembly polls is doing the rounds and the TDP-Jana Sena alliance has decided to release a joint manifesto and go all-out in taking up cudgels against the ruling establishment after the successful rally to mark conclusion of Yuva Galam by Nara Lokesh in Vizianagaram district, the indefinite agitation launched by various types of workers and the recent threat by volunteers, who were once described by the government as members of ‘Jagan Army’ are giving sleepless nights to the YSRCP high command and the top officials calling the shots in the State.

Moreover, the agitations being launched taking advantage of the situation may also take a new twist with a section of non-gazetted officers talking about launching an agitation insisting on implementation of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) instead of Guaranteed Pension Scheme (GPS) introduced by the government.

A Committee of Ministers led by Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana on Tuesday turned down the demand for increasing the honorarium of Anganwadi workers saying enhancing it is not possible immediately. They are demanding an increase from Rs 15,000 to Rs 26,000 claiming that the Chief Minister at the time of elections had promised to give them more than their counterparts in Telangana. The Minister asked them to resume work and sought more time to resolve their problem.

Garbage clearance got hit due to an indefinite strike launched by sanitary workers. Leading the agitation, CITU State secretary and Visakhapatnam district general secretary RKSV Kumar told Bizz Buzz on Wednesday that they are demanding job security by regularisation of services, offering equal work equal pay norm and extension of statutory benefits like gratuity and post-retirement pension.

While Anganwadi workers run centres in both urban and rural areas to provide nutritious food to pregnant women and infants, the ASHA workers play a key role in implementation of various family welfare schemes. The forcible opening of Anganwadi centres during the strike which entered 16th day has angered the workers forcing them to hit the streets and participate in ‘vanta varpu’ (cooking and eating) programme on the roads. Some of the Anganwadi centres as a stop-gap arrangement are now being run by Self-Help Groups amid strong protests by the agitating workers.

The State Government has appointed 1.6 lakh-odd volunteers for implementation of various government services at the grassroots through the sachivalam system introduced by the YSRCP after getting elected to govern for five years in 2019. The volunteers at present get a monthly honorarium of Rs 5,000 while ward secretaries have been made regular employees on payment of basic scale. The volunteers at present demand that they deserve better payment by regularising their services.

Meanwhile, the workers engaged under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan have served a notice to go on a strike demanding regularisation of service and implementation of ‘equal work equal pay’ ruling given by the apex court.