Amit Chavda GPCC Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President highlights issues of Angandwadi Workers, he said while addressing a press conference that Anganwadi Worker & helpers should be given salary and rights as per Gujarat High Court judgment.
Anganwadi centers should be started in proportion to the population, and vacant posts should be filled promptly.
Even after three decades of BJP rule and spending crores of rupees, the government has failed to eradicate malnutrition.
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President Chavda further said that in Gujarat, corrupt officials have become healthy, but children – the future generation – are malnourished. In Modi’s Gujarat model – even after 30 years of rule – the ICDS program runs insensitively. Anganwadi workers do not receive adequate salaries. Despite spending crores of taxpayers’ money every year, children in poor and tribal areas of Gujarat continue to suffer from malnutrition. The government has failed to eliminate this stigma of malnutrition.
There are not enough Anganwadi centers at par with the population. Many Anganwadi centers function in rented or dilapidated buildings. There are no toilets, no drinking water, and issues with electricity connections. There are no proper recruitments of officers and staff to supervise the ICDS program – many posts are vacant. For government festivals and rallies, Anganwadi workers are forced to work with assigned targets. Massive corruption is happening in the scheme. Even after spending crores, the BJP government has utterly failed to remove malnutrition.
Congress demands that Anganwadi workers and helpers be paid salaries as per the High Court judgment, that vacant posts be filled immediately, and that Anganwadi centers be started according to population needs.
Out of the 82 crore people suffering from malnutrition globally, 22 crore are in India, including 33 lakh children, more than half of whom are severely malnourished – and Gujarat, with its so-called “double engine” government, is at the top. According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), five of the country’s top 10 severely malnourished districts are in Gujarat – Dang (53.1%), Dahod (53%), Narmada, Panchmahal, and Tapi. None of Gujarat’s districts are among the top 10 well-nourished ones.
In March 2022, Union Minister Smriti Irani informed Parliament, citing NFHS data, that Gujarat has the highest rate of malnutrition, with 39.7% of children malnourished – the highest in India.
Former Cabinet Minister and senior leader Jaynarayan Vyas, addressing the press, said that the Central Government runs a very important and multi-purpose program, the ICDS Integrated Child Development Services program. Its objective is to provide pre-primary education, nutritional food to eliminate malnutrition, primary healthcare, immunization, and health checkups for children under 6, along with health care for pregnant and lactating mothers and adolescent girls.
Gujarat is known as a progressive state with developed governance and infrastructure, which is why during Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister (2000–2014), Gujarat was promoted across India as a “Model State.” In his 2014 election campaign for Prime Minister, Modi used this claim extensively.
However, the ICDS program, especially its Anganwadi network in rural areas, needs critical review. According to the CAG 2024 Comptroller and Auditor General of India report, as per the 2011 Census, Gujarat had 77.77 lakh children below 6 years. Between 2015 and 2023, only 40.34 lakh children were admitted, showing a huge gap. Gujarat has 53,029 Anganwadi centers, which is 16,045 short of the requirement.
8,452 Anganwadi centers function in broken buildings.
3,381 run in temporary arrangements, including 30 in open spaces.
1,299 have no toilets.
1,032 have no drinking water.
6,709 water purification machines worth ₹3.82 crore are unused due to lack of water or electricity.
Out of 1.07 lakh posts of District Program Officers, CDPOs, Lady Supervisors, Anganwadi workers, and helpers, 5,532 are vacant. More than 55.95% posts of DPOs and CDPOs are unfilled.
Anganwadi workers are overburdened with multiple assignments, leaving them little time for children. Workers get only ₹10,000/month, and helpers get ₹5,500/month – not enough in today’s inflation. Gujarat High Court has ordered that they be recognized as permanent government staff with Class 3 and 4 status and paid minimum wages, but the government has not implemented this.
Workers face major challenges with the FRS Face Reading System and KYC requirements, which take up excessive time but don’t work effectively. The promised ₹10,000 for mobile devices has not been paid, and SIM cards provided do not function properly.
Beneficiaries also complain that instead of THR Take Home Ration food packets, they should be given grains, as many do not use the packets. Still, crores are spent on these packets, which causes wastage.
Malnutrition is worsened by overpopulation. The government gives food items like pulses and oil under the Mukhya Mantri Matru Yojana (MMY), but distribution lacks consistency.
CAG 2024 report highlights these systemic failures. While schemes like ICDS, Mid-Day Meal, and MGNREGA are launched with noble intent, corruption and mismanagement defeat their purpose. ICDS is an excellent scheme with great vision, but in Gujarat, it suffers from insensitive governance and corruption.
Recently, the Gujarat government has announced upgrading 1,797 Anganwadis with new infrastructure and has advertised recruitment for over 9,800 Anganwadi workers and helpers. The effectiveness of these measures, however, depends on proper implementation.
