Anganwadi workers stage protest in Mumbai over contaminated THR
Anganwadi workers gathered at Mumbai's Azad Maidan, calling out the poor quality of take-home ration (THR) given to children and pregnant women in Maharashtra.
They said the nutritional powders were so bad, contaminated with rat droppings and loaded with turmeric, that most families just threw them away or fed them to animals.
Anganwadi union seeks safer food, pay
Sangeeta Kamble from the Anganwadi Employees' Union shared her disappointment, saying they've raised concerns for ages but nothing has changed.
VR Thakur, joint secretary of the women and child development department, agreed to check the quality of THR and increase incentives for anganwadi workers, but the payment of ₹8 per student per day is not enough.
On top of that, workers receive only 65 paise per student as a cooking allowance, with payments sometimes delayed by up to six months.
The protest was a plea for safer food and fairer treatment.