Harish Rao Targets Telangana Govt Over Unpaid Anganwadi Salaries, Unfulfilled Promises

Senior BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Telangana government, accusing it of neglecting the welfare of thousands of Anganwadi workers while making ambitious promises about women’s economic empowerment.

Referring to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s repeated assurances of creating financially independent women entrepreneurs, Harish Rao said such claims ring hollow when the government has failed to pay salaries to Anganwadi workers for the past two months. He argued that ensuring timely wages for frontline women workers should be the government's first priority before speaking about making women crorepatis.

In a post on social media platform X, the former minister shared the Congress party’s Abhayahastam election manifesto and questioned whether the government was honoring the commitments it had made to women. He said nearly 62,000 Anganwadi teachers and helpers across Telangana were facing financial hardship due to delayed salary payments, yet their concerns appeared to have been ignored by the administration.

Harish Rao also expressed concern over what he described as the government's indifference toward the struggles of Anganwadi workers, many of whom play a critical role in delivering nutrition, childcare and early education services at the grassroots level. He remarked that the distress of these women workers should have received greater attention from the government, particularly from departments responsible for women and child welfare.

Defending the record of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, Harish Rao said the party had taken several measures to improve the status and financial security of Anganwadi staff. According to him, the BRS government recognized Anganwadi workers as teachers and significantly enhanced their salaries. He noted that the monthly remuneration of Anganwadi teachers was increased from ₹4,200 in 2014 to ₹13,650 , while helpers received ₹7,800 , making Telangana one of the better-paying states for Anganwadi personnel.

The BRS leader also accused the ruling Congress of failing to implement key promises made in its election manifesto. He pointed out that the party had pledged to increase Anganwadi teachers’ salaries to ₹18,000 per month and extend EPF benefits to provide greater job security. However, he alleged that there has been little progress on either commitment despite the government being in office for a considerable period.

Raising another long-pending issue, Harish Rao said workers in upgraded mini-Anganwadi centres were still waiting for enhanced salaries that had reportedly remained unpaid for nearly a year. He urged the government to immediately clear all pending dues and fulfill the assurances made to Anganwadi employees.

The former minister further alleged that previous protests organized by Anganwadi workers seeking resolution of their demands had been met with a heavy-handed response. He said governments should engage with welfare workers through dialogue rather than confrontation.

Calling for urgent action, Harish Rao demanded the immediate release of two months' pending salaries for Anganwadi workers and the disbursal of enhanced wages due to employees in upgraded mini-Anganwadi centres. He maintained that genuine women’s empowerment begins with protecting the livelihoods of those already serving society at the grassroots level.