Centre Rules Out Honorarium Hike for Anganwadi Workers Again

New Delhi: The Union government on Friday confirmed that it has no proposal under consideration to increase the honorarium paid to anganwadi workers and helpers under the POSHAN scheme, effectively freezing wages that have not been revised in nearly seven years.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur reiterated the government's position, stating that anganwadi workers are “honorary workers” who voluntarily serve in the childcare and nutrition sector within their local communities.

“Currently no such proposal is under consideration,” the minister said, in response to whether the government was planning to raise the honorarium of lakhs of women employed under the flagship scheme aimed at combating malnutrition and child development challenges across India.

Honorarium levels have remained unchanged since October 1, 2018. As per existing norms, workers at regular anganwadi centres receive Rs 4,500 per month, those at mini-centres get Rs 3,500, and helpers are paid Rs 2,250. Performance-based incentives amount to just Rs 500 for workers and Rs 250 for helpers.

The announcement is expected to draw criticism from worker unions and rights groups, many of whom have been demanding that anganwadi workers be recognised as full-time government employees with wages and benefits reflecting the essential public health and education services they provide.

Despite being frontline functionaries under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), anganwadi workers continue to be treated as volunteers. This classification allows the state to keep honorariums low while assigning responsibilities that include preschool education, maternal care, nutrition monitoring, and increasingly, data collection and digital reporting tasks.

Over the past several years, workers across states have staged protests demanding better pay, job security, and formal recognition. The Centre's latest response confirms that those demands remain unanswered at the policy level.