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 instrumental role in the front line of collecting information in the current COVID-19 situation. Jointly with the Ministry of Health, the department of women and child development of the Indian government has leveraged the manpower of AWWs to visit in person and survey the health conditions of the general public. Their typical work schedule now starts at 9 AM, and includes visiting around 50 homes per day and manually recording the COVID-19 symptoms and relevant information of each person in the household.

The data that AWWs collect needs to be accurate and has a strong consequence on the government's planning measures to control the pandemic. However, while doctors, nurses, and few categories of frontline workers are in the limelight for their exceptional work and are attracting accolades and insurance benefits, AWWs are not even in the back seat and are not receiving even a minor hike. Further, their socio-economic status has put them in a position to not raise any concern on their health and welfare leaving aside their scant awareness of their own rights. 

The Long Walk

Currently, as public transport has been curbed, the government offers transport services for AWWs from fixed locations to the target area of the day. If their homes are on the way, they get picked up else they have to walk to the common pickup location. This arrangement, though helpful in many places, hasn't still solved the prevalent transportation problem in hilly terrains . The unique landscape of certain terrains with its dispersed settlements forces its inhabitants to either spend fuel or their time to travel. With pickup points in sparse locations, AWWs workers on hilly terrain inevitably walk 8 KMs or more to reach them to go to work. Further, even after reaching their target area, they had to walk 4 KMs daily on average to cover the households. 

If somehow they navigate their transportation issues, the end of their long walk is not always welcoming. While they are treated warmly and with consideration by few households, they are shunned by a considerable section of the society. Especially, few gated societies and a segment of population in the higher socioeconomic spectrum throw away irritated faces and annoying responses on them. Moreover, in some worst cases, even the members of their own family and their community are distancing them in the fear of getting infected without understanding the risky nature of their assignments. Such responses affect their mental and physical health and inturn could reflect on their efficiency in collecting accurate data.

The Invisible Hands

Recently, the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu K Palaniswami declared in the state assembly that doctors, nurses, paramedics, and sanitary workers involved in treating COVID-19 patients in isolation at government hospitals in Tamil Nadu will be receiving a special payout of a month's salary and insurance benefits to honour their services. But the labour of AWWs who sometimes spend their own money to serve the community are invisible in the larger scheme of things. One can argue that the hospital personnels are at a higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19 than the AWWs. But what matters is the possibility and not the degree of probability of getting infected for anyone who consciously risks their life. Financial compensation of even a small value would make a huge difference in the lives of these AWWs who are earning around Rs.10,000 as freshers and can earn up to Rs. 18,000 only if they have 30 years of experience.

Though the efforts of the AWWs such as delivering dry rations to the beneficiaries had captured the attention of the media, the government's failure to financially compensate the much deserved AWWs has been neglected by the media so far. AWWs through their union have negotiated with the directorate of the department of Women and Child Development, but sources mentioned that their demands were not taken seriously by the government and they were ignored. Hence, the powerless workers who are taken for granted by both the government and their community feel disheartened and end up sharing their melancholy with a researcher like me!