The members of the Karnataka State Anganwadi Employees Association staged a rasta roko in Kolar on Saturday protesting against the privatisation of the anganwadis in the country.

The members said that anganwadi workers and assistant workers where efficiently serving under the Comprehensive Child Development Scheme.

Budgetary allocation should be made in order to improve the standard of living of the anganwadi workers who are striving to strengthen the ICDS scheme of the government, expressed the protesting members.

“The allocation of Rs 14,500 crore should be made for this purpose in the present budget itself”, the members demanded, urging the government to elevate the position of workers to special workers who were selected under local MLA leadership.

Demanding pension for the anganwadi workers, the members urged that workers who had already superannuated should paid Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 50,000 should be paid to the assistant workers.

Honorarium should be paid by the fifth of every month along with additional honorarium. The anganwadi workers should be relieved from the Stree Shakti works, they demanded.

The members said foodgrains supplied to the anganwadi centres should be directly supplied from the concerned department. The members also demanded the fulfilment of several other demands.

Gandhi Nagar Narayanaswamy, Munirajamma, Manjula, Anusuyamma, H M Yallappa and others lead the protest.