Tamil Nadu to Replace Asbestos Roofs at 1,662 Child Care Center
Summary
Tamil Nadu replaces dangerous asbestos roofs in 1,662Anganwadi center with a ₹66 crore upgrade — but the goodwill is clouded by a stark reality: hundreds of ICDS supervisors have worked without pay for eight months, with no clear resolution in sight.
Table of Contents
Social Welfare Minister K. Jagadeeswari announced on Monday that 1,662 Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) centres currently fitted with asbestos roofing will be upgraded to PUF panel roofs at an estimated cost of Rs. 66 crore. Speaking during the discussion on her ministry's demand for grants in the Assembly, the minister added that broader safety improvements at these centres would require a further investment of approximately Rs. 12 crore.
The ministry's policy note confirmed that Anganwadi workers are appointed at the supervisor grade-II level, but made no reference to an ongoing dispute stemming from the previous DMK government's handling of such appointments. A number of individuals appointed as supervisor grade-II have reportedly been working without salaries for the past eight months due to administrative confusion surrounding the recruitment process.
In ICDS Project 9 in Chennai, for instance, no sanctioned posts for grade-II supervisors exist, yet several individuals were inducted into these roles and have since been performing their duties without receiving any remuneration. Staff at the concerned office have indicated that the confusion originated at a higher administrative level and that the minister has not been formally apprised of the situation faced by these unpaid supervisors.
The minister also informed the Assembly that ICDS employees are entitled to a special pay scale in line with the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission. She further noted that all 54,481 ICDS centres across Tamil Nadu have been brought onto the POSHAN Tracker platform to enhance the monitoring and delivery of nutrition and welfare services.