Lok Sabha Question No. 2208 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-12
Subject: Women Employed under Various Schemes
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Dr. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2208

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.12.2025

## WOMEN EMPLOYED UNDER VARIOUS SCHEMES

## 2208.   DR. ANGOMCHA BIMOL AKOIJAM:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of women in rural India employed under various Government schemes, including Anganwadi Services, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), State/UT-wise;
- (b) the  details  of  the  salary/honorarium  being  paid  to  Anganwadi  workers,  Mid-Day Meal workers and ICDS workers, State/UT-wise; and
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  received  reports  regarding  pending/delayed  payment  of salary/honorarium and demands for an increase in the remuneration of women workers engaged under these schemes, if so, the details  thereof  along  with  the  response  of  the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (c) In the 15 th Finance Commission, components of nutritional support for children below the age of 6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers and Adolescent Girls, Early Childhood Care  and  Education  and  Anganwadi  infrastructure  including  modern,  upgraded  Saksham Anganwadi have been reorganised under the umbrella Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) for effective implementation and for better nutritional delivery to end beneficiaries. The package of six services viz. Supplementary Nutrition (SNP), Pre-school Nonformal Education, Nutrition & Health Education, Immunization, Health Check-up and Referral Services is provided under Mission Poshan 2.0 through the network of over 14 Lakh Anganwadi centres (AWCs) across the country.

Three of the six services, viz., Immunization, Health Check-up and Referral Services are related to health and are provided through NHM & Public Health Infrastructure.

Mission  Saksham  Anganwadi  and  Poshan  2.0  is  a  Centrally  Sponsored  scheme.  Central Government is responsible for policy and planning and the State Governments/UT Administrations are responsible for day-to-day program implementation.

Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) are 'honorary workers' from the local community who voluntarily come forward to render their services in the area of child care and development to help the local community for which they are paid monthly honorarium. State and UT wise details of in position AWWs and AWHs is placed at Annexure I.

Honorarium is given to AWWs and AWHs which is increased from time to time. From 1st October, 2018, Government of India has enhanced the honorarium of AWWs at Anganwadi centres (AWCs) from Rs.3,000/- to Rs.4,500/- per month and AWHs from Rs.1,500/- to Rs.2,250/- per month as per the defined cost sharing ratio between the Centre & States/UTs. In addition, States/UTs are also paying additional monetary incentives/top ups to these functionaries from their own resources which  vary  from  State  to  State.  Details  of  additional  top  ups  provided  by  States/  UTs  are  at Annexure II.

Besides, performance linked incentive of Rs.500/- is provided to AWWs and Rs.250/- per month to AWHs.

Under  Mission  Saksham  Anganwadi  and  Poshan  2.0,  AWWs  have  been  technologically empowered  with  the  provision  of  smartphones  for  efficient  monitoring  and  service  delivery. Poshan Tracker which is a mobile phone application that has digitized physical registers used by Anganwadi workers. This improves the quality of their work while simultaneously enabling them for real-time monitoring of all activities going on in the Anganwadis.

To incentivize and encourage the AWWs and AWHs, various initiatives have been undertaken including the following:

- i. Promotion: Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, promotional opportunities  for  Anganwadi  Workers  have  been  enhanced.  50%  posts  of  Anganwadi Workers are to be filled by Anganwadi Helpers with 5 years of experience and 50% posts of  Supervisors  are  to  be  filled  by  promotion  of  Anganwadi  Workers  with  5  years  of experience subject to fulfilment of other criteria.
- ii. Leave: 20 days annual leave and paid maternity absence of 180 days, paid absence on abortion/ miscarriage once for 45 days.
- iii. State  Governments  and  UT  Administrations  have  been  requested  to  encourage  eligible AWWs and AWHs to get themselves  enrolled  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Shram  Yogi Mandhan (PM-SYM) Pension Scheme, which is a voluntary  and  contributory  pension scheme for the unorganized sectors in the country to ensure old age protection.
- iv. Social Security Insurance Schemes: Insurance benefits have been provided to Anganwadi Workers and Helpers under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) for life cover worth Rs.2.00 lakh (covers life risk, death due to any reason) in the age group of 18 to  50  years  and  under  Pradhan  Mantri  Suraksha  Bima  Yojana  for  accidental  cover  of Rs.2.00 Lakh (accidental death and permanent full disability) /Rs.1.00 Lakh (partial but permanent disability) in the age group of 18-59 years.
- v. Retirement date: States and UTs have been requested to adopt a uniform retirement date i.e 30 th April of each year with respect to Anganwadi Workers and Helpers to ensure proper human resource planning.
- vi. Annual Healthcare coverage of Rs. 5 Lakhs under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya  Yojana  (AB-PMJAY)  to  all  Anganwadi  workers  and  helpers  in  pursuance  to budget announcement in FY 2024-25.

As  informed  by  Department  of  School  Education  &  Literacy,  Pradhan  Mantri  Poshan  Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Scheme is one of the foremost rights based Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented in partnership with the States and Union Territories (UTs) for providing one hot cooked and nutritious meal to all children studying in Bal Vatika (just before class-I) and classes I  to  VIII  of  Government  and  Government-aided  schools.   The  Scheme  covers  about  11  crore children in more than 10.35 lakh schools in all the States and UTs.

The overall responsibility for smooth functioning of the scheme including providing hot cooked and nutritious meal to the eligible children as well as engagement of Cook-cum-Helpers (CCHs) lies with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. However, these CCHs are honorary workers who have come forward for rendering social services. As per guidelines of the Scheme, honorarium of Rs. 1000/- per month for 10 months in a year is prescribed for these CCHs in recognition of their services and the same is being continued. The State Governments and UT Administrations have the authority to enhance the honorarium by providing additional funds from their own resources and many State Governments and UT Administrations have supplemented the honorarium by providing additional funds. States and UTs are implementing the Scheme through Centralized Kitchens utilizing the services of various Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and  Self-Help  Groups  (SHGs).  State-wise  details  of  CCHs  under  the  Scheme  are  given  at Annexure-III. The details of honorarium provided to CCHs under the PM POSHAN Scheme by the States and UTs are given at Annexure-IV .

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## Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2208 to be answered on 12.12.2025 regarding ' Women Employed under Various Schemes '

State and UT wise details of in position AWWs and AWHs:

|   S. NoState | S. NoState                         |   In-Position AWWIn-PositionAWH |   In-Position AWWIn-PositionAWH |
|--------------|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|            1 | Andhra Pradesh                     |                           54944 |                           47356 |
|            2 | Bihar                              |                          110161 |                           99990 |
|            3 | Chhattisgarh                       |                           52002 |                           50359 |
|            4 | Gujarat                            |                           50277 |                           48897 |
|            5 | Haryana                            |                           23194 |                           20716 |
|            6 | Himachal Pradesh                   |                           18580 |                           17759 |
|            7 | Jammu &Kashmir                     |                           28082 |                           27972 |
|            8 | Jharkhand                          |                           37812 |                           36510 |
|            9 | Karnataka                          |                           66098 |                           59298 |
|           10 | Kerala                             |                           33051 |                           33066 |
|           11 | Madhya Pradesh                     |                           95058 |                           79598 |
|           12 | Maharashtra                        |                          108560 |                          104527 |
|           13 | Odisha                             |                           73475 |                           71964 |
|           14 | Punjab                             |                           25343 |                           23239 |
|           15 | Rajasthan                          |                           60625 |                           59308 |
|           16 | Tamil Nadu                         |                           43940 |                           34663 |
|           17 | Telangana                          |                           32782 |                           23506 |
|           18 | Uttar Pradesh                      |                          182348 |                          128811 |
|           19 | Uttarakhand                        |                           19778 |                           17658 |
|           20 | West Bengal                        |                          105210 |                           95750 |
|           21 | Arunachal Pradesh                  |                            6225 |                            6225 |
|           22 | Assam                              |                           59801 |                           52911 |
|           23 | Manipur                            |                           10747 |                            9231 |
|           24 | Meghalaya                          |                            6153 |                            6119 |
|           25 | Mizoram                            |                            2244 |                            2244 |
|           26 | Nagaland                           |                            3980 |                            3980 |
|           27 | Sikkim                             |                            1308 |                            1308 |
|           28 | Tripura                            |                           10275 |                           10275 |
|           29 | Andaman &Nicobar                   |                             720 |                             719 |
|           30 | Goa                                |                            1240 |                            1191 |
|           31 | Puducherry                         |                             582 |                             696 |
|           32 | Chandigarh                         |                             435 |                             439 |
|           33 | Ladakh                             |                            1163 |                            1153 |
|           34 | Delhi                              |                           10488 |                           10833 |
|           35 | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu |                             404 |                             397 |
|           36 | Lakshadweep                        |                              58 |                              56 |

## Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2208 to be answered on 12.12.2025 regarding ' Women Employed under Various Schemes '

Details of additional top ups as provided by States and UTs:

|   Sr. No. | State                             | Additional Honorarium paid to AWWs(per month)   | Additional Honorarium paid to AWHs (per month)   |
|-----------|-----------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Andhra Pradesh                    | 7,000                                           | 4,750                                            |
|         2 | Bihar                             | 2,500                                           | 1,750                                            |
|         3 | Chhattisgarh                      | 5,500                                           | 2,750                                            |
|         4 | Gujarat                           | 5,500                                           | 3,250                                            |
|         5 | Haryana                           | 10,250                                          | 5,650                                            |
|         6 | Himachal Pradesh                  | 5,500                                           | 3,250                                            |
|         7 | Jammu &Kashmir                    | 600                                             | 300                                              |
|         8 | Jharkhand                         | 5,000                                           | 2,500                                            |
|         9 | Karnataka                         | 7,000                                           | 4,500                                            |
|        10 | Kerala                            | 8,500                                           | 6,750                                            |
|        11 | Madhya Pradesh                    | 8,500                                           | 4,250                                            |
|        12 | Maharashtra                       | 8,500                                           | 5,250                                            |
|        13 | Odisha                            | 5,500                                           | 2,750                                            |
|        14 | Punjab                            | 5,500-6,500                                     | 2,750-3,250                                      |
|        15 | Rajasthan                         | 5,510                                           | 3,674                                            |
|        16 | Tamil Nadu                        | 3,200                                           | 1,850                                            |
|        17 | Telangana                         | 9,150                                           | 5,550                                            |
|        18 | Uttar Pradesh                     | 1,500                                           | 750                                              |
|        19 | Uttarakhand                       | 4,800                                           | 3,000                                            |
|        20 | West Bengal                       | 4,500                                           | 4,550                                            |
|        21 | Arunachal Pradesh                 | 3,000                                           | 3,000                                            |
|        22 | Assam                             | 2,000                                           | 1,000                                            |
|        23 | Manipur                           | 1,000                                           | 600                                              |
|        24 | Meghalaya                         | 3,000                                           | 1,000                                            |
|        25 | Mizoram                           | 450                                             | 500                                              |
|        26 | Nagaland                          | Nil                                             | Nil                                              |
|        27 | Sikkim                            | 7,000                                           | 4,500                                            |
|        28 | Tripura                           | 3,500-5,946                                     | 2,750-4218                                       |
|        29 | Andaman &Nicobar                  | 7,500                                           | 5,750                                            |
|        30 | Goa                               | 5,500 -13,500                                   | 3,750 - 6,750                                    |
|        31 | Puducherry                        | 1,950                                           | 2,125                                            |
|        32 | Chandigarh                        | 3,600                                           | 1,800                                            |
|        33 | Ladakh                            | 1,300                                           | 650                                              |
|        34 | Delhi                             | 6,720                                           | 3,360                                            |
|        35 | Dadra &NagarHaveli and Daman &Diu | 3,500                                           | 1,750                                            |
|        36 | Lakshadweep                       | 5,500                                           | 4,750                                            |

Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2208 to be answered on 12.12.2025 regarding ' Women Employed under Various Schemes '

## State/ UT-wise Cook-cum-Helpers

| S.No.   | States/UTs        | 2024-25   | 2024-25   | 2024-25   |
|---------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| S.No.   | States/UTs        | Male      | Female    | Total     |
| 1       | A&N islands       | 153       | 568       | 721       |
| 2       | Andhra Pradesh    | 0         | 88296     | 88296     |
| 3       | Arunachal Pradesh | 2011      | 3742      | 5753      |
| 4       | Assam             | 7473      | 101170    | 108643    |
| 5       | Bihar             | 85706     | 159610    | 245316    |
| 6       | Chandigarh        | 64        | 836       | 900       |
| 7       | Chhattisgarh      | 15090     | 78330     | 93420     |
| 8       | Delhi             | 9231      | 11659     | 20890     |
| 9       | DNH &DD           | 61        | 1096      | 1157      |
| 10      | Goa               | 149       | 2691      | 2840      |
| 11      | Gujarat           | 30456     | 65927     | 96383     |
| 12      | Haryana           | 80        | 29942     | 30022     |
| 13      | Himachal Pradesh  | 3323      | 18154     | 21477     |
| 14      | Jammu &Kashmir    | 7389      | 25005     | 32394     |
| 15      | Jharkhand         | 144       | 79142     | 79286     |
| 16      | Karnataka         | 0         | 121637    | 121637    |
| 17      | Kerala            | 781       | 16892     | 17673     |
| 18      | Ladakh            | 170       | 754       | 924       |
| 19      | Lakshadweep       | 6         | 14        | 20        |
| 20      | Madhya Pradesh    | 3217      | 203647    | 206864    |
| 21      | Maharashtra       | 17902     | 157299    | 175201    |
| 22      | Manipur           | 168       | 6414      | 6582      |
| 23      | Meghalaya         | 5245      | 14850     | 20095     |
| 24      | Mizoram           | 790       | 4093      | 4883      |
| 25      | Nagaland          | 746       | 3877      | 4623      |
| 26      | Orissa            | 2747      | 109343    | 112090    |
| 27      | Puducherry        | 471       | 560       | 1031      |
| 28      | Punjab            | 1182      | 44018     | 45200     |
| 29      | Rajasthan         | 15384     | 100019    | 115403    |
| 30      | Sikkim            | 859       | 1032      | 1891      |
| 31      | Tamilnadu         | 6585      | 121545    | 128130    |
| 32      | Tealangana        | 6215      | 47986     | 54201     |
| 33      | Tripura           | 768       | 11520     | 12288     |
| 34      | Uttar Pradesh     | 19595     | 352697    | 372292    |

|   35 | Uttarakhand   |   108 |   25949 |   26057 |
|------|---------------|-------|---------|---------|
|   36 | West Bengal   |  8031 |  222202 |  230233 |

Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2208 to be answered on 12.12.2025 regarding ' Women Employed under Various Schemes '

## State/ UT-wise Honorarium of Cook cum Helper per month

|   S.No. | States/UTs        | Cooks-cum-Helpers Honorarium Per Month (in Rs)   | - Additional Honorarium per month cook-cum-helpers provided by UTs (in Rs)*   | to States/   |
|---------|-------------------|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|
|       1 | Andhra Pradesh    | 3000                                             | 2000                                                                          |              |
|       2 | Arunachal Pradesh | 2000                                             | 1000                                                                          |              |
|       3 | Assam             | 1500                                             | 500                                                                           |              |
|       4 | Bihar             | 1650                                             | 650                                                                           |              |
|       5 | Chhattisgarh      | 2000                                             | 1000                                                                          |              |
|       6 | Goa               | 1000                                             | 0                                                                             |              |
|       7 | Gujarat           | 3250                                             | 2250                                                                          |              |
|       8 | Haryana           | 7000                                             | 6000                                                                          |              |
|       9 | Himachal Pradesh  | 4500                                             | 3500                                                                          |              |
|      10 | Jharkhand         | 3000                                             | 2000                                                                          |              |
|      11 | Karnataka         | 3700                                             | 2700                                                                          |              |
|      12 | Kerala            | 12000                                            | 11000                                                                         |              |
|      13 | Madhya Pradesh    | 4000                                             | 3000                                                                          |              |
|      14 | Maharashtra       | 2500                                             | 1500                                                                          |              |
|      15 | Manipur           | 1000                                             | 0                                                                             |              |
|      16 | Meghalaya         | 2000                                             | 1000                                                                          |              |
|      17 | Mizoram           | 3000                                             | 2000                                                                          |              |
|      18 | Nagaland          | 1000                                             | 0                                                                             |              |
|      19 | Odisha            | 2000                                             | 1000                                                                          |              |
|      20 | Punjab            | 3000                                             | 2000                                                                          |              |
|      21 | Rajasthan         | 2143                                             | 1143                                                                          |              |
|      22 | Sikkim            | 1000                                             | 0                                                                             |              |
|      23 | Tamil Nadu        | 4100-12500                                       | 3100-11500                                                                    |              |
|      24 | Telangana         | 3000                                             | 2000                                                                          |              |
|      25 | Tripura           | 2500                                             | 1500                                                                          |              |
|      26 | Uttar Pradesh     | 2000                                             | 1000                                                                          |              |
|      27 | Uttarakhand       | 3000                                             | 2000                                                                          |              |
|      28 | West Bengal       | 2000                                             | 1000                                                                          |              |

|   29 | A&N Islands    | 1000        | 0           |
|------|----------------|-------------|-------------|
|   30 | Chandigarh     | 4500        | 3500        |
|   31 | D&N andD& Diu  | 6461        | 5461        |
|   32 | Delhi          | 1000        | 0           |
|   33 | Jammu& Kashmir | 1000        | 0           |
|   34 | Ladakh         | 1000        | 0           |
|   35 | Lakshadweep    | 18000-20200 | 17000-19200 |
|   36 | Puducherry     | 10000       | 9000        |

*Source-Information received in Annual Work Plan & Budget submitted by States/ UTs

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