The announcement was made by the chief minister through a video message on Facebook. “It is with immense pleasure that I announce that from April 2024, our ASHA and anganwadi workers will receive an enhanced remuneration of Rs 750 every month,” she said.

With this, Asha and anganwadi workers, who used to get Rs 8,250 per month, will get Rs 9,000 per month.

The CM also increased the remuneration of anganwadi helpers by Rs 500 per month. “Earlier, anganwadi helpers used to get Rs 6,000 per month. With this raise, they will now get Rs 6,500 per month,” she said.

The CM’s announcement came ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. It was also announced just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Barasat in the North 24 Parganas district where he attacked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for unleashing “a reign of terror” on women and said that “women of Bengal will put an end” to the party’s “mafia raj”.

ASHA workers are an all-female cadre of community health workers constituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2006. Anganwadis are child and mother care centres established as part of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). Each anganwadi is run by a two-woman team of an anganwadi worker and a helper.

In the state Budget for 2024-25, the TMC government had introduced a Gender and Child Budget with a focus on welfare of women and holistic development of children. The allocation for the gender budget is Rs 21,380 crore under 100% women specific schemes and Rs 74,891 crore for schemes with 30% to 99% dedicated to women’s welfare.