Balbir Singh Sidhu launches a sharp attack on the BJP government over the hike in commercial gas cylinder prices The Congress will strongly oppose every anti-people policy that affects people's kitchens S.A.S.Nagar 2 May ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Senior Congress leader and former Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu has termed the steep increase in commercial gas cylinder prices by the BJP-led central government as a well-planned conspiracy against small traders and common people, who are considered the backbone of the country's economy. Sidhu said that the significant hike in gas cylinder prices in a single day proves that the BJP government neither cares about small businesses nor about the kitchens of ordinary households. People who are already burdened by inflation, unemployment, and taxes are now being further oppressed by rising gas prices. He stated that this decision is a direct economic blow to thousands of families associated with tea vendors, dhaba owners, hotel ope...
Budget 2026-27 - Deadly Silence on the Plight and Right of Anganwadi and other Scheme Workers and the basic services
Budget 2026-27 - Deadly Silence on the Plight and Right of Anganwadi and other Scheme Workers and the basic services
All India Protest on 2/3 February 2026 – Burn the copies of Budget
Complete Strike, Massive Mobilisations, Rasta/Rail Roko on 12 February 2026
Chandigarh 1 February ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Usha Rani president of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) strongly condemns the deadly silence on the Plight and Rights of nearly one crore scheme workers including 26 lakhs anganwadi workers and helpers in Union Budget 2026-27. The budget is silent on the infrastructure and the quality of services in the basic services schemes like ICDS, School Mid Day Meal Scheme and National Health Mission, with no increase in allocation.
The Government of India which is boasting that through the labour codes it is ‘providing minimum wages to all workers,’ is paying a mere Rs.2700 per month for anganwadi workers and Rs.1350 per month for anganwadi helpers as wages. There is no increase in the remuneration of these grass root level workers who deliver the basic services of food, health and education to the common people since 2018. ASHA workers are paid mere Rs.1200 per month and Mid Day Meal workers are paid Rs.600 per month since 2018.
There is no social security or pension for the scheme workers. Even the 2022 Supreme Court order granting gratuity to the anganwadi workers and helpers has not yet been implemented by the government which claims it is granting gratuity to fixed term employees also! The government had announced in Parliament in March 2026, an increase in the remuneration of ASHA workers from Rs.2000 to Rs.3500 per month (including the state share), but there is no budgetary allocation or announcement. Since 2009, the wage of the Mid Day Meal workers remains Rs.1000 per month(including state share)
The budget allocation for Saksham Anganwadi POSHAN 2.0 for the year 2026-27 is Rs. 23100 Cr. The budget for the previous year was Rs.21960.00 Cr. In her budget speech last year, the Finance Minister had announced that “cost norms for the nutritional norms will be enhanced” for the scheme which covers supplementary nutrition for nearly 8 crore children and 2 crore pregnant women and lactating mothers. The cost norms for the supplementary nutrition were last revised in 2017! In the last one year not a single paisa has been increased (as there was no budgetary provisions last year). If we assume that this apparent increase of Rs.1140 Cr will be utilized for that the increase for the nutrition will be 38 paise per child! (For 8 crore children and 2 crore mothers for 300 days a year). This is nothing but deception.
The Anganwadi scheme has completed 50 years in 2025. more than 3.38 lakh anganwadi centres do not have clean drinking water and 4.61 lakh centres do not have toilet facilities. The government announced to build two lakhs (out of 14 lakhs) ‘Saksham Anganwadis’ in Budget 2022 in the last four years, nearly 60000 anganwadis only have been upgraded.
This budget has kept a deadly silence about the workers in general and the scheme workers directly employed by the union government in particular. None of the promises on improving the working conditions of scheme workers made by the Union Cabinet Minsters during the massive militant struggle of the scheme workers – gherao of central minsters in December 2025 are fulfilled.
The anganwadi workers and the other scheme workers together will rise in rage against this pro corporate anti people government and its deceiving budget. AIFAWH will organise protests against this Budget by burning its copies throughout the country on 2/3 February 2025.
AIFAWH calls upon the anganwadi workers and heleprs, ASHA workers, MDM workers and other scheme workers to show our strength by total strike and massive mobilisations, rasta/rail rokos on 12 February 2026 General Strike and make it the biggest ever General Strike in Independent India.
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