Anganwadi workers, helpers unpaid for 14 months
Minister assures five months' honorarium
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 14 2013: Social Welfare Minister AK Mirabai has assured that five months' honorarium for Anganwadi workers, helpers and subordinate staff would be paid soon even if all the backlog for 14 months' honorarium cannot be paid.

The Minister also appealed to all Anganwadi workers and helpers not to take recourse to any form of agitation.

Speaking to media persons on media reports about pending honorarium for Anganwadi workers and helpers, Mirabai stated that pending honorarium for workers, helpers and subordinate staff appointed under ICDS project was the first major issue she encountered after she assumed the charge of Social Welfare Minister.

On enquiry, it was found that payment of honorarium ran into backlog since 2007-08 and it accumulated to 14 months now.

The project was earlier funded by the Centre 100 per cent.

But today, the Centre and the States are jointly funding the project at the ratio of 90:10 .

AK Mirabai

Conceding that there were certain lapses and delay in sending utilisation certificates of the project, Mirabai said that the Centre did not release the full amount of its share which was done every three months.

As a result, the department could not pay honorarium regularly.

Informing that Rs 6,11,32,996 is spent every month in paying honorarium to Anganwadi workers, helpers and subordinate staff, the Minister conveyed that the Centre has released the first instalment of Rs 14,81,83,000 for the first three months of 2013-14 and the same amount has been released to CDPOs.

The second instalment of Rs 11,85,14,000 for the next two months has also been sanctioned and the department is awaiting release by Finance Department.

For 2012-13, the Centre is yet to release Rs 45,27,79,968 and there is a backlog of Rs 7,22,56,370 out of the State's share.

While the department is urging the State Government to release the backlog amount, the Principal Secretary (Social Welfare) is currently stationed at Delhi to lobby with the Union Government to release its backlog share.

The Principal Secretary would be joined by the Social Welfare Director tomorrow.

Talking about old age pension, 82 per cent of the pensioners have opened their bank accounts and pension amounts for those who have already opened their bank accounts have been transferred to the bank.

Expressing serious concern over the rising cases of crimes against women, Mirabai noted that the frequent cases of rape has become a major social issue in the State.

To help rape victims rehabilitate, some amounts have been incorporated in the budget and the Government started providing monetary assistance to the victims since 2011-12 .

Moreover, the department has launched awareness programmes aimed at checking crimes against women.

During 2011-12, the Government provided monetary assistance to four rape victims.

Arrangements have been made to extend similar assistance to 12 rape victims for the year 2012-13 .

Noting that Court has awarded befitting punishment to all the culprits involved in raping a chilli (U-Morok) trader, AK Mirabai said that his particular case would teach a lesson to all potential rapists and bring down rape cases in the State.

If the district level committed head by the DC as chairman receives application and the committee makes due recommendation, rape victims would given monetary assistance of Rs 40,000 .

The Government has earmarked Rs five lakhs in the annual budget of 2013-14 for providing monetary assistance to rape victims.

With regard to the issue of child trafficking, the Social Welfare Minister opined that parents, particularly those living in remote areas send their children outside the State for better education as education sector in these areas remains backward.

To check child trafficking, the department has initiated necessary procedures to set up 100-bedded children homes under SPA and NLCPR in each and every district of Manipur, she added.