Around 500 supervisors of the Department of Women and Child Development have not got a single promotion since 2004, and over 100 of them may retire without one as they are due for retirement in a few months from now.
Supervisors take government programmes like Integrated Child Development Services to public, deliver other government schemes to women and children across the state, oversee and train anganwadi workers.
They are considered the link between field-level workers and higher authorities and drafting the scheme implementation report and submitting it to the department. Many of them who are supposed to supervise 25 Anganwadis and get the work done are loaded with over 100 Anganwadis in some taluks and are drawing the same salary scale.
“Those recruited under the Karnataka Cadre and Service Rules as Child Development Program (CDPO) Officers, Assistant Child Development Program Officer (ACDPO), Program Officer (PO), and Deputy Director (DD) have received promotions over the years. But in our case, 500 supervisors spread across the state are awaiting promotions,” said a supervisor from Chitradurga.
She and hundreds of others joined the service in 2004 when C Motamma was the minister. “Since then, we have seen eight ministers including Bhagirathi Gouda, Umashree, Jayamala and Shashikala Jolle. No one has addressed our concerns. We hope this time, Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar will stand by us.”
“The minister said she will study the same and call a meeting with officials as well as the delegation of supervisors to work out the modalities to address their concern,” said a woman supervisor from Davanagere.
The department is also contemplating to recruit 25% through the Karnataka Public Service Commission, and filling in the remaining 75% directly by considering their Pre-University and Degree background. “The department wants to even promote the anganwadi workers as supervisors, and once the FC clears the files and recruitment is completed, the supervisors awaiting promotions will be promoted as senior supervisors,” said the official.
