NPP flays state govt for neglecting Anganwadi workers

National People’s Party (NPP), Nagaland unit, has expressed deep concern over what it termed as the continuing neglect of Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Helpers (AWHs) in Nagaland, pointing out that the state was the only one in the country that does not provide any additional honorarium beyond the baseline fixed by the Union government.
According NPP media & communication cell, citing official Central government notifications (PIB, 2018 revision), the current baseline honorarium for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers is– Rs. 4,500 per month for AWWs in main centres; Rs. 3,500 for AWWs in mini centres; Rs. 2,250 for AWHs, with performance incentives of Rs. 500 for AWWs and Rs. 250 for AWHs. While this amount is standard across India, NPP stated that almost every other state and Union Territory supplements this with a state-level contribution, with Nagaland standing out as the only exception.
Citing data from the department of Social Welfare, NPP said Nagaland had 60 ICDS projects with 3,980 Anganwadi centres serving about 3.45 lakh beneficiaries, including children (0-6 years), pregnant women and lactating mothers. It said that, as per worker association figures, the state had 3,955 Anganwadi Workers and 3,481 Helpers, all of whom received no support from the state exchequer.
NPP also presented a comparative list of northeastern states wherein Assam adds Rs. 2,000 for AWWs and Rs. 1,000 for AWHs; Meghalaya provides Rs. 1,500–Rs. 2,000 as top-up support; Tripura contributes up to Rs. 5,946 for AWWs and Rs. 4,218 for AWHs (among the highest in NE); Mizoram adds Rs. 450 for AWWs and Rs. 250 for AWHs; Manipur provides ~Rs. 1,000 for AWWs and Rs. 600 for AWHs whereas Nagaland contribution was Rs. 0.
The party said this disparity raised serious questions of parity and fairness, especially as poorer states like Tripura and Mizoram had been able to extend support to their frontline workforce. NPP therefore, urged the state government to introduce a state-level honorarium component for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers.