Invaluable Yet Undervalued Anganwadi Workers, Organising to be Recognised

Public policy in India views women’s labour, especially care work, through a narrow, gendered lens. This is evident from how the Government of India (GoI) treats anganwadi workers and helpers, who form an exclusively female workforce working at the grassroots level of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), a flagship programme of the GoI. There are approximately 2.6 million anganwadi workers and helpers employed in the ICDS Scheme (EPW Editorial 2019). This paper examines the State’s perception of women’s work and its approach to care work, by discussing the issues of anganwadi workers and helpers.