Priyanka Gandhi Bats For Asha, Anganwadi Workers
Wayanad, Kerala; March 27: Congress general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi today praised the hardwork being done by the Asha and Anganwadi workers. She said, despite their so much diligence they were not getting adequately paid.
She also hailed the construction of houses for the landslide victims and praised everybody’s efforts in rehabilitating the victims of the devastating natural calamity that hit Wayanad last year.
Ms Gandhi is on a three-day tour of her parliamentary constituency. She inaugurated the Vanitha Sangamam at Grama Panchayat Community Hall in Meenangadi.
She also inaugurated a smart Anganwadi, a lift irrigation project and a check dam under the Aspirational District Programme here today.
Besides, she inaugurated the new ‘Grama Panchayat Office Complex’ in Pulpally, Wayanad. The panchayat has taken many initiatives like mobile veterinary hospital and vertical farming.
Speaking during these functions, Ms Vadra had a special praise for the women workers in general and the Asha and Anganwadi workers in particular. She said, the Asha workers and the Anganwadi workers and helpers are working round the clock. She pointed out, if there is a medical problem in the middle of the night, the Asha Worker is the first one to get a call.
Despite such hard work, she said, their working conditions and the honorarium criteria were quite tough. She disclosed that even if one criterion was short, their remuneration was deducted by Rs 700. Besides, at times, she added they had to wait for months together to get the incentives.
“And yet nobody is ready to treat you as regular workers despite having longer working hours than an average office staff”, she told them while adding, “you are neither given a proper salary nor the pension”.
Identifying herself with all the working women, she said, “we are carrying a huge burden and the society cannot move without us and the future generations cannot be brought up without us”.
“When we see this ‘She Power’ it is us who have to understand what does the ‘she’ mean”, Ms Vadra remarked, while referring to her women empowerment campaign in Uttar Pradesh, named, “Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon (I am a girl and I can fight)”.
She said the Congress had launched an all women manifesto, which was for the first time in Indian political history. She said all other political parties, including the BJP adopted and implemented many policies from that manifesto.
“I am very proud to say that many states, different political parties, even the BJP started announcing schemes for women which were there in our manifesto”, she said.
Earlier in an informal interaction with reporters, Ms Vadra said that the proposed township for the Wayanad landslide victims was a step in the right direction to rehabilitate them (the victims).
She lauded everybody’s efforts to help in rehabilitating the victims, while referring to the Karnataka government’s initiative to build 100 houses.
During her visit to the Sree Seetha Devi Lava Kusa Temple in Pulpally, she remarked, “The divine energy and rich history of this temple left me spellbound.”
