Anganwadi Worker Salary, Eligibility and Selection

The anganwadi worker salary is called an honorarium, not a salary on a pay scale. The Government of India has fixed it at ₹4,500 a month for an Anganwadi Worker (AWW) at a main centre and ₹2,250 for an Anganwadi Helper, with a performance linked incentive on top. Most states then add their own extra amount, so the anganwadi salary you actually get depends on your state. This page explains how the anganwadi job works across India, with real state examples, and tells you where to check the exact figure for your district.

I meet many young women in small towns who want a sarkari kaam close to home. The anganwadi job is one of the few that is filled locally, from women of the same village or ward. That is its biggest strength.

What is an anganwadi job

An anganwadi centre is a village or ward level centre under the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The scheme is run by each state's Women and Child Development (WCD) or Social Welfare department, through Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) at block level. The centre serves children up to 6 years, pregnant women and new mothers.

Main posts at a centre:

• Anganwadi Worker (Anganwadi karyakarta, sevika or teacher): runs the centre. Pre-school activities for children aged 3 to 6, take-home ration and hot meals, weighing and growth records, home visits, help with immunisation days and health checks, and keeping registers and the mobile app records.
• Anganwadi Helper (sahayika): cooks and serves food, keeps the centre clean, brings young children to the centre, and assists the worker.
• Mini Anganwadi Worker: runs a smaller centre without a helper. Many mini centres are being upgraded to full centres.
• Anganwadi Supervisor (Mukhya Sevika in some states): a regular state government post that supervises a group of centres.

Anganwadi worker salary and anganwadi helper salary: the central honorarium

A reply given in Parliament by the Ministry of Women and Child Development lists the honorarium fixed by the Government of India:

The same reply says workers at upgraded mini centres now get ₹4,500. This central honorarium is shared between the Centre and the state as per the scheme's cost sharing. On top of it, states pay an extra amount from their own budget. That extra amount differs from state to state and often depends on qualification or years of service. This is why the anganwadi karyakarta salary, and anganwadi workers salary in general, in one state can be very different from another.

Honorarium is a fixed monthly amount. There is no DA, HRA or pay matrix like a regular government employee. Use the totals given in your state's latest government order, not figures you see on social media.

State examples: UP, Odisha, Telangana and others

Here is how the anganwadi salary and rules look in a few states, from official documents:

So, up me anganwadi ki salary kitni hai? It is the central honorarium plus the UP top-up, and states revise their top-ups from time to time. The same goes for Bihar anganwadi salary, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, West Bengal, Assam and Madhya Pradesh. Each state government sets its own addition. For the latest UP anganwadi salary or the anganwadi worker salary in Punjab, check the state WCD department website or ask your CDPO office for the current government order.

Eligibility and age limit

Some states give extra points or preference to widows, orphan girls, divorced or deserted women, SC and ST candidates and candidates with disability. Odisha also allows helpers some age relaxation for years they have already served.

Selection process: merit, points and interview

There is no all-India exam. A bharti for the anganwadi job is done at district or project level, and the steps look like this:

1. The CDPO or district office publishes vacancies centre by centre. Many states now take applications online through the state WCD portal.
2. Candidates apply with proof of residence, education, age and category.
3. A selection committee gives marks. In Odisha, merit is based on class 12 percentage plus extra points for categories such as widow, orphan, SC, ST and earlier balwadi work. In Telangana, class 12 marks carry 70 marks, an interview 10 marks, and categories such as widow, orphan and disability carry extra marks, out of 100.
4. A provisional list is put up, objections are heard, and the final engagement order is issued.

So the biggest factor is your class 12 percentage. In the states checked, a tie goes to the older candidate.

Anganwadi supervisor salary and promotion

The anganwadi supervisor job is a regular state government post with a proper pay scale, DA and other allowances. As per the central guidelines quoted in Parliament, half of supervisor posts are filled by promoting anganwadi workers who have 5 years of experience, subject to other conditions. The other half are filled by direct recruitment through the state's staff selection commission or WCD department, and the qualification is usually higher than for a worker.

Similarly, half of anganwadi worker posts can be filled by promoting helpers with 5 years of experience. So a helper can become a worker, and a worker can become a supervisor. The anganwadi supervisor ki salary is set by each state's pay rules, so the anganwadi supervisor salary in UP, Haryana or Odisha will differ. See the supervisor notification in your state for the pay level.

Other benefits and leave

The Parliament reply lists these benefits for anganwadi workers and helpers:

• 180 days of paid maternity absence, and 45 days once for miscarriage or abortion.
• 20 days of annual leave.
• Two sarees or suits a year as uniform.
• Life cover under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (₹2 lakh, ages 18 to 50) and accident cover under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (ages 18 to 59).
• States were asked to encourage enrolment in the PM Shram Yogi Maan-dhan pension scheme.

Engagement generally continues till 60 years in the states checked, though states set their own rules.

Anganwadi worker vs ASHA worker

Many people mix up the anganwadi worker with the ASHA worker. They are different. An ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) works under the health department through the National Health Mission. The ASHA worker salary is mainly task based incentives for work such as institutional deliveries and immunisation, plus any fixed amount the state adds. An anganwadi worker works under WCD and gets a fixed monthly honorarium. For the ASHA worker job and the ASHA worker salary in Haryana, HP or any other state, check the state health mission website.

How to get an anganwadi government job

• Finish class 12: it is now the minimum for workers in many states, and your marks decide the merit.
• Watch local notices: anganwadi jobs in AP and Telangana, a Bihar anganwadi job, and posts in UP, MP, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab are announced at district or project level and on the state WCD portal. Check the district collectorate website too.
• Keep certificates ready: residence, caste, age proof and marksheets, in the format the notice asks for.
• Plan your growth: after a few years as a worker you can aim for the supervisor post, or study further. An NTT course builds on pre-school work, and full teacher training plus a TET is the route to a government teacher post.

An anganwadi govt job is honorary, not a regular post, so think of it as steady local work with a path to supervisor. For other options read govt jobs for women, govt jobs without exam, govt jobs after 12th and India Post GDS.