Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday announced wage hike for around 10,000 childcare workers (Anganwadis) and their helpers.

As per the wage hike, a childcare worker would get Rs 8,000 per month as against Rs 6,000, from this financial year.

“Childcare workers’ wages have been increased by Rs 4,400 since Congress came to power in Karnataka as against Rs 750 during BJP regime in the state,’’ Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in a statement.

Around 10,000 childcare workers and their helpers in Karnataka called off their four-day agitation on March 23 after Chief Minister siddarmaiah assured them of giving wage hike after bye-elections to Nanjangud and Gundlupet Assembly seats.

The polling for Nanjangud and Gundlupet Assembly seats was held on April 9. Nanjangud is about 170km away from Bengaluru and Gundlupet 210km from the state capital.

The meeting between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and representatives of Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers’ Association began at 11 am on Monday at Vidhana Soudha in the state capital. “I am very happy with the announcement of wage hike for childcare workers and their helpers. With this announcement, 50 per cent of our demands were met,’’ Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers’ Association President S Varalakshmi told reporters here.

Around 1.2-lakh Anganwadis and helpers take care of about 60-lakh children, pregnant women and nursing mothers at 65,911 centres across the state for early childhood care and development under the Central Government’s Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) scheme.

As per ICDS guidelines, an Anganwadi is given Rs. 3,000 and her helper Rs. 1,500 per month as honorarium, with the central and the state governments sharing the cost on 60:40 per cent basis since 2015-16 as against 90:10 per cent basis since the scheme was launched in 1975. “We have increased Rs 2,000 for each childcare worker and Rs 1,000 for helpers working at childcare centres,’’ Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.

Though the Central Government did not increase its honorarium since 2011-12, the State Government had enhanced it by Rs.500 for Anganwadis and Rs.250 for helpers per month from 2013-14 to 2015-16.