Executive Summary:
This document outlines the Indian government's initiatives under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, focusing on Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs). It details honorarium enhancements since October 1, 2018, performance-linked incentives, and various welfare provisions such as leave policies, pension schemes, promotional opportunities, and insurance benefits. The document also discusses technological empowerment through smartphones and the Poshan Tracker application.
Key Points / Main Content:
Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0:
Reorganized nutritional support and early childhood care services for children under 6, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls.
Provides six services through Anganwadi Centres: Supplementary Nutrition, Preschool Education, Nutrition & Health Education, Immunization, Health Checkup, and Referral Services.
Health-related services (Immunization, Health Checkup, Referral Services) are delivered through the National Health Mission (NHM).
Honorarium and Incentives:
AWWs at Anganwadi Centres receive Rs. 4,500 per month (enhanced from Rs. 3,000).
AWWs at mini AWCs receive Rs. 3,500 per month (enhanced from Rs. 2,250).
AWHs receive Rs. 2,250 per month (enhanced from Rs. 1,500).
Performance-linked incentive: Rs. 500 for AWWs and Rs. 250 for AWHs, based on specific criteria (Growth monitoring & home visits for AWWs, AWC opening days for AWHs).
Welfare Provisions:
Leave: 20 days annual leave, 180 days paid maternity leave, and 45 days paid leave for abortion/miscarriage (once).
Pension Scheme: Encourages enrollment in Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan (PMSYM).
Promotional Opportunities: 50% of Anganwadi Worker posts are filled by AWHs (with 5 years of experience), and 50% of Supervisor posts are filled by AWWs (with 5 years of experience).
Insurance Schemes: Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) for life cover (Rs. 2.00 lakh) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana for accidental cover (Rs. 2.00 lakh for death/disability, Rs. 1.00 lakh for partial disability).
Retirement Date: States/UTs requested to adopt a uniform retirement date of April 30th.
Healthcare Coverage: Annual healthcare coverage of Rs. 5 Lakhs under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY).
Technological Empowerment:
Smartphones provided to AWWs for efficient monitoring and service delivery.
Poshan Tracker app digitizes physical registers for real-time monitoring of Anganwadi activities.
Impact Analysis:
Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs):
Impact: Increased honorarium, performance-linked incentives, access to welfare benefits (leave, pension, insurance), and technological empowerment.
Action Required: Meet performance criteria for incentives, enroll in PMSYM pension scheme, utilize smartphones and Poshan Tracker for efficient service delivery, and be aware of promotional opportunities.
State Governments and UT Administrations:
Impact: Required to implement enhanced honorarium and incentives, facilitate enrollment in welfare schemes, and adopt a uniform retirement date. May provide additional monetary incentives.
Action Required: Allocate funds for honorarium and incentives, encourage AWWs/AWHs to enroll in PMSYM, adopt the April 30th retirement date, and ensure access to ABPMJAY.
Children under 6, Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers, and Adolescent Girls:
Impact: Improved nutritional support and early childhood care services through Anganwadi Centres.
Action Required: Access available services at Anganwadi Centres.
Key Entities Referenced
Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0: A scheme reorganizing nutritional support and early childhood care through Anganwadi infrastructure.
Anganwadi Workers (AWWs): Honorary workers at Anganwadi centres providing services in child care and development.
Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs): Assist Anganwadi Workers in their duties.
Mamta Didis: A cadre of community health workers, though the document focuses more on AWWs and AWHs.
National Health Mission (NHM): Provides health-related services, such as Immunization, Health checkup and Referral Services through Public Health Infrastructure in collaboration with Anganwadi Centres.
Poshan Tracker: A mobile application used by Anganwadi workers for real-time monitoring of activities and digitized data entry.
Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan (PMSYM): A voluntary and contributory pension scheme for workers in the unorganized sector.
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY): Annual Healthcare coverage scheme providing Rs. 5 Lakhs coverage to all Anganwadi workers and helpers.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 1081
TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.07.2025
HONORARIUM TO AWWS/AWHS AND MAMTA DIDIS
1081. MD ABU TAHER KHAN:
SHRI DINESH CHANDRA YADAV:
SHRI GIRIDHARI YADAV:
DR. INDRA HANG SUBBA:
SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:
SHRI RAMPRIT MANDAL:
Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:
(a) the amount the Government pay as honorarium to Anganwadi Workers (AWWs),
Assistant Workers (AWHs) and Mamta Didis;
(b) whether the Government proposes to increase their honorarium, if so, the details
thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
(c) whether the Government is planning to give the status of salaried employee to
AWWs/AWHs and Mamta Didis, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons
therefor; and
(d) whether child immunization incentives are being disbursed to AWWs on time and
if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)
(a) to (d) In the 15th Finance Commission, components of nutritional support for children
below the age of 6 years, pregnant women and lactating mother, Adolescent Girls; Early
Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) [3-6 years]; Anganwadi infrastructure including
modern, upgraded Saksham Anganwadi have been reorganised under Mission Saksham
Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 for effective implementation of the scheme and for better
nutritional delivery to end beneficiaries. Under the Mission, following six services are
provided through the platform of Anganwadi Centres to the eligible beneficiaries:
i. Supplementary Nutrition (SNP)
ii. Pre-school Non-formal Education,
iii. Nutrition & Health Education,
iv. Immunization,
v. Health Check-up, and
vi. Referral ServicesThree of the six services, viz., Immunization, Health check-up and Referral Services are
related to health and are provided through National Health Mission (NHM) & Public Health
Infrastructure.
Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) are “honorary workers”
under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 from the local community who 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. Honorarium is given to AWWs and AWHs
which 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; AWWs at mini- AWCs from Rs.2,250/- to Rs.3,500/- per month;
AWHs from Rs.1,500/- to Rs.2,250/- per month as per the defined cost sharing ratio
between the centre& the States/UTs. Besides, performance linked incentive of Rs.500/- is
provided to AWWs and Rs.250/- per month to AWHs.
Incentive criteria for AWWs:
i. Growth monitoring: The measurement should be done for at least 80% of children in
0-6 age group every month.
ii. Home visits: Completing at least 60% of home visits to pregnant women, lactating
mothers and children upto two years of age as per the home visit scheduler.
Incentive criteria for AWHs: Opening the AWC for at least 21 days in the month.
In addition, States/UTs are also paying additional monetary incentives/financial top ups to
these voluntary workers from their own resources which vary from State to State.
Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, AWWs have been technologically
empowered with the provision of smartphones for efficient monitoring and service delivery.
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. Leave: 20 days annual leave and paid maternity absence of 180 days, paid absence
on abortion/ miscarriage once for 45 days.
ii. 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 sectors in the country to ensure old
age protection.
iii. Promotion: Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, promotional
opportunities for Anganwadi Workers have been enhanced. 50% posts of Anganwadi
Workers are to be filled by Anganwadi Helpers with 5 years of experience and 50%posts of Supervisors are to be filled by promotion of Anganwadi Workers with 5 years
of experience subject to fulfilment of other criteria.
iv. Social Security Insurance Schemes: Insurance benefits have been provided to
Anganwadi Workers and Helpers 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 Anganwadi Workers and Helpers 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 Anganwadi workers and helpers in pursuance
to budget announcement in FY 2024-25.
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