Lost in the Maze: How the Labour of Anganwadi Workers are Lost in the Larger Scheme of Things
Anganwadi workers (AWWs) are not just frontline health workers. Their job description in the official website of the department of Women and Child Development in Tamilnadu runs up to 21 bulletins. Some of the important functions include eliciting community support and participation in running various programmes, organising non-formal pre-school activities in the anganwadi for children in the age group of 3-6, organising supplementary nutrition feeding for children (0-6 years), expectant and nursing mothers by planning the menu based on locally available food and local recipes, and providing health counseling to mothers and adolescents. In addition to their contractual obligations, by leveraging AWW's rapport with the general public, they are expected to carry out various other functions by the government such as collecting census and caste data, aiding in the delivery of various welfare benefits, and distributing voter slips. Not surprisingly, they are also playing an instru