Anganwadi workers and assistants across several districts of southern Tamil Nadu staged large-scale protests on Tuesday, 6 January 2026, demanding the fulfilment of long-pending promises made in the 2021 Assembly election manifesto, including recognition as government employees, time-scale pay, and enhanced retirement benefits. The protests led to traffic disruptions and the detention of nearly 3,000 workers across multiple districts.
In Dindigul, anganwadi workers and assistants gathered near the Dindigul bus stand and attempted a road blockade to press their nine-point charter of demands. The protesters demanded that anganwadi workers and assistants be officially declared government employees, be granted time-scale pay as promised, and be provided a minimum pension. They also sought a gratuity of ₹10 lakh for anganwadi workers and ₹5 lakh for assistants, along with a 30-day summer holiday in May every year, similar to benefits extended to teachers.
The protesters said these assurances had been announced as election promises but were not reflected in the recent budget, prompting them to escalate their agitation into a second phase of protests in the form of road blockades.
As police denied permission for the road roko, heated arguments broke out at the protest site. Despite restrictions, the anganwadi workers climbed over barricades and sat on the road, disrupting traffic for over an hour in the area. Following this, police detained around 1,000 protesters in Dindigul for participating in the road blockade without permission.
Parallel protests were held in other districts as well. Anganwadi workers and assistants affiliated to Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a road roko in front of the Anna Bus Stand in Thoothukudi. The protest was presided over by CITU state vice-president Russel. Police detained 1,056 protesters at the Thoothukudi agitation and later took them to a private marriage hall.
In Tirunelveli district, anganwadi workers blocked vehicular traffic at Vannarpet, leading to the arrest of 401 protesters. In Kanniyakumari district, more than 800 protesters were detained after staging a road roko near the Anna Bus Stand in Nagercoil. Similar agitations were reported from Tenkasi, where police detained over 500 anganwadi workers and assistants.
The protesters reiterated that anganwadi workers and assistants should be brought under time-scale pay and formally recognised as government employees, as promised by the ruling DMK in its 2021 election manifesto. They also demanded a minimum monthly pension of ₹9,000 and enhanced gratuity benefits upon retirement.
Police officials said the detainees were released later in the evening after the protests were called off. The anganwadi workers, however, warned that protests would continue if the government failed to address their demands.
In 2025, Anganwadi workers tried to reach out to DMK MP Kanimozhi over the unfulfilled poll promises, but to no avail.
Source: The Hindu
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