By Sameer Ahmad
Anantnag: Fehmeeda Akhter a handicapped district president of “All Anganwardi workers and helpers association” had left no stone unturned to lead the union and register their protests since 2012 to meet their genuine demands.
37 year old Fehmeeda Akhter hails from the lukbawan larkipora area of Anantnag District, she was appointed in 1991 in ICDS department as helper and in 2012 she took the charge of president after winning the union election with majority of votes.
Fehmeeda has been arrested at least 16 times during the protests in Srinagar and Anantnag.
Talking to INS Fehmeeda Akhter District president of All Anganwardi workers and helpers association said that “It has been several months and we have not received our salary. There are many workers who are the only support of their families. Yet the government pays no heed to our demands. She said,
Added that so many times I received several threatening calls after the protests, but I never gave up and instead of threatening calls I led to my union for their rights. I will fight and led protests continue till our demands will be resolved, Fehmeeda said.
In 2012 the Anganwardi workers and helpers association held the elections for president post, in which Fehmeeda had won with a majority of votes, since then Fehmeeda led the union with the support of two sticks Fehmeeda is reaching nook and corner of the departments.
According to Fehmeeda she also got several explanations from the officials but she left all in vain.
Fehmeeda’s favorite slogan which she raises in every protest is “Hum cheen kay Laingay Apna Haq” and people call her “Iron Lady” in Anantnag.
Fehmeeda was 6 year old when she was diagnosed with polio, Fehmeeda taking two sticks to walk and led the union to hold protests for their rights.
According to her, she led at least 700 protests in District Anantnag, in every protest Fehmeeda led the union as president and demanded their genuine demands.
In district Anantnag there are almost 4500 workers and helpers employed in 2250 ICDS centers.
Meanwhile talking to INS Fehmeeda said that the government didn’t bother to resolve our genuine demands even we are doing protest in a single day of the week, she said that from the last several years we demands from the government to release our liability, didn’t engage us for other departments work and the ICDS laws which had already implemented on other state to implement here in jammu and Kashmir, she said.
However last week Scores of Anganwadi workers and helpers assembled inside Anantnag stadium amid slogans and held a protest demonstration demanding release of their pending honorarium. During the protest they alleged that they had not received any salary for several months.
