Cabinet approves enhancement of Honorarium to Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) and Performance Linked Incentive to AWHs Under Anganwadi Services (Umbrella ICDS Scheme)

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
 

Cabinet approves enhancement of Honorarium to Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) and Performance Linked Incentive to AWHs Under Anganwadi Services (Umbrella ICDS Scheme)

19 SEP 2018

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved enhancement of honorarium to Anganwadi Workers/Anganwadi Helpers
(AWWs/AWHs)and performance linked incentive to AWHs [Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme] with a total cost of Rs. 10,649.41 crore (GoI Share) for the period from 01.10.2018 to 31.03.2020.

Nearly 27 lakh AWWs/AWHs will be benefitted by the approval. Anganwadi Services (Umbrella ICDS) is a universal scheme and beneficiaries are spread all over the country at AWC/village level.

Details:
The proposals approved consist of the following:

Name of Functionary	Old Rates p.m.	Revised Rates p.m.
Anganwadi Worker	Rs.3,000/-	Rs.4,500/-
Anganwadi Worker at Mini-AWC	Rs.2,250/-	Rs.3,500/-
Anganwadi Helper	Rs.1,500/-	Rs.2,250/-  (*)

(*) In addition, monthly performance linked incentive of Rs.250/- has also been approved for Anganwadi Helpers for facilitating proper functioning of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).
The enhanced rate of honorarium and performance linked incentive would be effective from 1st October, 2018.

Impact:
The programme through targeted interventions will strive to reduce the level of malnutrition, anaemia and low birth weight babies, ensure empowerment of adolescent girls, provide protection to the children who are in conflict with law, provide safe place for day-care to children of working mothers, create synergy, ensure better monitoring, issue negative alerts for timely action, encourage States/UTs to perform, guide and supervise line Ministries and States/UTs to achieve the targeted goals and bring more transparency.

Financial Implications:
The details of expenditure for the period from 1st October, 2018 to 31st March 2020 for payment of honorarium to AWWs/AWHs and performance linked incentives to AWHs are as under:

(Rupees in crore)

Name of the Components	2018-19(6 months)	2019-20	Total
Honorarium to AWWs	2182.63	4365.27	6547.90
Honorarium to Mini-AWWs	154.60	309.19	463.79
Honorarium to AWHs	1212.57	2425.15	3637.72
Total	3549.8	7099.61	10649.41

Background:
Anganwadi Services (ICDS) aims at holistic development of children under the age of six years and its beneficiaries are children of this age group and Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers.The rate of honorarium paid to the Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers was last revised in the year 2011. Since then the cost of living has increased and the cost norms for the administration of Supplementary Nutrition have also been revised recently in the year 2017.

PIB