Parliament Question: Difficulties Faced by AWWs and AWHs

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5597 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 DIFFICULTIES FACED BY AWWs AND AWHs 5597. SHRI SATPAL BRAHAMCHARI: Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the Ministry is aware that Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) in the Sonipat Lok Sabha constituency are facing difficulties concerning their honorarium, training and working facilities, if so, the details thereof; (b) the total number of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers currently operational in the said constituency along with the details of vacant posts; (c) whether the Government has taken any special measures to enhance their honorarium, social security coverage, training and overall working conditions; and (d) whether the National Commission for Women (NCW) has established any specific initiative or monitoring mechanism for the redressal of grievances and complaints related to Anganwadi Workers, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR) (a) to (d): Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) are honorary workers drawn from the local community who voluntarily come forward to render their services in the area of child care and development to help the local community for which they are paid honorarium. This honorarium is increased from time to time. From 1st October, 2018, Government of India has enhanced the honorarium of AWWs at Anganwadi centres (AWCs) from Rs.3,000/- to Rs.4,500/- per month and AWHs from Rs.1,500/- to Rs.2,250/- per month as per the defined cost sharing ratio between the Centre and States and UTs. In addition, States and UTs are also paying additional monetary incentives and top ups to these functionaries from their own resources which vary from State to State. Besides, performance linked incentive of Rs.500/- per month is provided to AWWs and Rs.250/- per month to AWHs. Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, AWWs have been technologically empowered with the provision of smartphones for efficient monitoring and delivery of services.Poshan Tracker which is a mobile phone application that has digitized physical registers used by Anganwadi workers. This improves the quality of their work while simultaneously enabling them for real-time monitoring of all activities going on in the Anganwadis. To incentivize and encourage the AWWs and AWHs, various initiatives have been undertaken including the following: i. Promotion: Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, promotional opportunities for AWWs and AWHs have been enhanced. 50% posts of AWWs are to be filled by AWHs with 5 years of experience and 50% posts of Supervisors are to be filled by promotion of AWWs with 5 years of experience subject to fulfilment of other criteria. ii. Leave: 20 days’ annual leave and paid maternity absence of 180 days and paid absence on abortion/ miscarriage once for 45 days. iii. State Governments and UT Administrations have been requested to encourage eligible AWWs and AWHs to get themselves enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan (PM-SYM) Pension Scheme, which is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme for the unorganized sector in the country to ensure old age protection. iv. Social Security Insurance Schemes: Insurance benefits have been provided to AWWs and AWHs under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) for life cover worth Rs.2.00 lakh (covers life risk, death due to any reason) in the age group of 18 to 50 years and under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana for accidental cover of Rs.2.00 Lakh (accidental death and permanent full disability) /Rs.1.00 Lakh (partial but permanent disability) in the age group of 18-59 years. v. Retirement date: States and UTs have been requested to adopt a uniform retirement date i.e 30th April of each year with respect to AWWs and AWHs to ensure proper human resource planning. vi. Annual Healthcare coverage of Rs. 5 Lakhs under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to all AWWs and AWHs in pursuance to budget announcement in FY 2024-25. Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (PBPB) initiative launched on 10th May 2023 under the Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 to enhance early learning through the Anganwadi system, for children from birth to 6 years. A two-tier cascaded training model is being implemented, wherein State Level Master Trainers (SLMTs) are being trained through Savitribai Phule National Institute of Women and Child Development (SPNIWCD) who in turn train Anganwadi Workers in the field. AWWs have been trained in Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) pedagogy and delivery of nutritional services. The training intends to build capacity of the AWW in delivery of quality ECCE. As on 16th March, 2026, 41,648 State Level Master Trainers (SLMTs) and 10,40,590 Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) have been trained in Round-1 of Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (PBPB) Programme. Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is a Centrally Sponsored scheme. The Central Government is responsible for policy and planning and the State Governments and UT Administrations are responsible for day-to-day program implementation of the scheme.As per Poshan Tracker, as on February, 2026, a total of 1,249 AWWs and 1,135 AWHs are in position in Sonipat district of State of Haryana. District wise data of in position Anganwadi Workers for all States and UTs is available on Poshan Tracker public dashboard at: https://www.poshantracker.in/statistics. National Commission for Women (NCW) examines complaints relating to the deprivation of women’s rights, as well as issues concerning the safety and security of women, in accordance with its mandate. While such complaints are registered under broad categories, the NCW does not maintain specific data pertaining exclusively to complaints filed by Anganwadi workers. *****