A.P. government ready to talk to Anganwadi workers: Minister Nara Lokesh

Minister for Education and IT Nara Lokesh on Friday (March 06) said the government was ready to hold discussions with anganwadi workers, ASHA workers and village administrative officers (VAOs) and that there was no need for them to stage protests.

Speaking in the Legislative Council, Mr. Lokesh faulted the members of the YSR Congress Party for staging a walkout over the anganwadi issue and said the Opposition, instead of staging repeated walkouts, should listen to the government’s response.

Referring to the recent protest by anganwadi workers, he said permission had been granted until 6 p.m. and the workers were provided food at Anna canteens, drinking water and ambulance services. After the permitted time ended, women police personnel escorted the protesters away for safety reasons, he said, seeking to clarify that no arrests were made and no cases were filed.

The Minister assured that the government would invite the workers for talks and resolve their concerns. He said the proposal to increase anganwadi workers’ salaries was under consideration, and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu would take a decision on it. He also extended similar assurances to ASHA workers and VAOs.

Free distribution of sanitary napkins

Responding to a question raised by MLC K. Greeshma, the Mister informed that to support the health and education of students, particularly school girls, the government was distributing free sanitary napkins to girls studying from Class 7 to Class 12 in government educational institutions across the State. The initiative aimed at improving menstrual hygiene and ensure that girls did not miss school during their menstrual cycle due to lack of access to hygienic products, he explained. He said the present government cleared ₹18.96 crore in pending dues left by the previous government, related to the supply of sanitary napkins.

Thalli ki vandanam

Speaking on another issue, Mr. Lokesh said under the Thalliki Vandanam financial assistance scheme, the government had provided ₹8,454 crore in support to 67,01,653 students in the State.

Drawing a comparison between the present government’s performance with the previous administration, the Minister said that only about 52% of students received financial support during the earlier government, whereas the current government had expanded coverage to about 85% of students. He said if details of any eligible students who had not received assistance were provided, the government would rectify the issue and ensure they received the benefits.