Anganwadi workers in Nagaland left out of state support, says NPP

DIMAPUR — The National People’s Party (NPP) Nagaland State Unit on Friday expressed concern over what it termed the continued neglect of Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Helpers (AWHs) in the state, stating that Nagaland remains the only state in the country that does not provide any additional honorarium beyond the baseline fixed by the Union government.

According to the party, while the central government pays INR 4,500 per month for AWWs in main centres, INR 3,500 for those in mini centres, and INR 2,250 for AWHs—along with performance incentives of INR 500 and INR 250, respectively—other states and Union territories supplement this with state-level contributions.

“Unfortunately, Nagaland stands out as the only exception.”

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Citing data from the department of Social Welfare, the NPP informed that Nagaland currently has 60 ICDS projects with 3,980 Anganwadi Centres serving about 3.45 lakh beneficiaries, including children below six years, pregnant women and lactating mothers. The state has 3,955 AWWs and 3,481 AWHs actively serving, yet all of them receive only the central government honorarium.

The NPP pointed out that other northeastern states, despite financial constraints, have extended additional support to their workers.

Assam provides an additional INR 2,000 to AWWs and INR 1,000 to AWHs; Meghalaya contributes between INR 1,500 and INR 2,000; Tripura pays some of the highest top-ups in the region with INR 5,946 for AWWs and INR 4,218 for AWHs; Mizoram provides INR 450 and INR 250, respectively; while Manipur offers around INR 1,000 for AWWs and INR 600 for AWHs.

“Nagaland, however, contributes INR 0, leaving its frontline workforce at the bare minimum,” it said.

The party asserted that the issue matters not only for women empowerment, as most AWWs are women, but also for child development since ICDS centres play a critical role in nutrition, maternal health and early learning.

“If poorer states like Tripura and Mizoram can add support, why not Nagaland?” the NPP questioned.

Urging the state government to immediately introduce a state-level honorarium, the party demanded that Nagaland match at least the northeastern average to ensure parity and fairness.

It further urged the state government to recognise that “Investment in Anganwadi workers is an investment in Nagaland’s children and future generations,” while reaffirming its solidarity with Anganwadi workers and helpers across the state.