The Need to Recognise ‘Volunteer’ Care Work

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health,

Education, Human Resources. .

Introduction

India’s welfare system depends on millions of women who provide health, nutrition, and childcare services. The Union Budget 2026–27 proposes training 1.5 lakh multiskilled caregivers under NSQF, recognising the growing demand for care services. However, a major contradiction remains. More than five million existing care workers such as ASHAs, Anganwadi workers and mid-day meal workers still remain classified as “volunteers”. They deliver essential public services but lack formal wages, labour protections, and employment security.

Background of Care Work

1. Central role in welfare delivery: ASHAs, Anganwadi workers and mid-day meal workers sustain India’s welfare architecture by delivering health, nutrition and childcare services in communities across the country.
2. Institutional foundation of the workforce: Anganwadi workers operate under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to provide early childhood care and nutrition, while ASHAs were created under the National Rural Health Mission in 2005 to connect communities with the public health system.
3. Scale and presence of the workforce: India has over one million ASHA workers, along with large numbers of Anganwadi workers and helpers, making the care workforce a major pillar of public welfare delivery.
4. Range of responsibilities in public health: Care workers record birth and death data, support maternal and child health programmes, track communicable and non-communicable diseases, and monitor sanitation and hygiene in communities.
5. Evidence of their effectiveness: ASHAs received the WHO Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Award in 2022, and a PLOS Global Public Health study shows that women connected with ASHAs are 1.6 times more likely to access maternal health services and institutional delivery.

Major Issues With Care Work

1. Volunteer classification and lack of labour rights: Care workers are officially treated as “volunteers” or “scheme workers”, which allows the state to avoid providing formal wages, contracts, paid leave, or maternity benefits.
2. Low and uncertain income: An ASHA worker earns roughly ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 per month, combining a small fixed payment with incentives linked to specific tasks such as facilitating institutional births.
3. Gendered undervaluation of care work: The 2024 Time Use Survey shows 41% of women aged 15–59 spend 140 minutes daily on caregiving compared to 21.4% of men at 74 minutes, showing a strong gender imbalance in unpaid care work.
4. Dependence on a feminised shadow labour force: The welfare system depends on a vast informal workforce of women delivering essential services while remaining outside formal employment protections.
5. Historical policy choices creating informality: Under ICDS, the government denied Anganwadi workers formal worker status, laying the foundation for treating welfare workers as volunteers rather than employees.
6. Legal decisions excluding employee status: The State of Karnataka vs Ameerbi (1996) tribunal decision excluded Anganwadi workers from government employee status, reinforcing their informal classification.
7. Ignored labour reform recommendations: The 45th Labour Conference recommended regularisation, minimum wages, pensions and gratuity for ASHA workers, but successive governments did not implement these proposals.
8. Fiscal decisions worsening conditions: The ICDS budget cut in 2015 and the freezing of the Centre’s honorarium contribution in 2018 reduced financial support and increased economic pressure on care workers.
9. Regional inequality in compensation: Since central payments stagnated, States began topping up wages from their own budgets, leading to major differences between wealthier and fiscally constrained States.

Existing Policy Responses to Care Work Issues

1. Care economy expansion through training: The Union Budget 2026–27 proposes training 1.5 lakh multiskilled caregivers under programmes aligned with the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) to strengthen the care ecosystem.
2. Limited welfare support schemes: Care workers receive partial support through state honorarium increases, gratuity benefits, and inclusion in schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan.
3. Insurance protection for ASHA workers: In 2018 the government introduced an ASHA benefit package covering accidents, deaths and disability, providing limited social security support.
4. Judicial recognition of permanent nature of work: In Dharam Singh & Anr. vs State of U.P. & Anr. (2025) the Supreme Court held that work that is recurrent and central to an institution cannot be treated as temporary indefinitely, strengthening demands for regularisation.

Way Forward

1. Legal reclassification of care workers: The Centre should reclassify ASHAs and Anganwadi workers as statutory employees under the Code on Social Security, ensuring minimum wages, pensions and labour protections.
2. Transition from honorarium to formal wages: Policy frameworks should convert honorarium-based payments into fair wages with formal employment contracts for long-term security.
3. Skill recognition for existing workers: The NSQF training programmes should include ASHA and Anganwadi workers, recognising their existing skills and improving career security.
4. Reducing regional wage disparities: The Centre and States must coordinate funding to ensure equitable pay across regions, reducing inequalities caused by varying State capacities.
5. Implementation of global labour standards: Reforms should follow the International Labour Organisation’s 5R Framework for Decent Care Work, particularly the commitments of Reward and Represent.

Conclusion

India’s health and welfare programmes rely heavily on millions of women who perform essential care services. Yet these workers remain underpaid, informal and excluded from labour protections despite their critical role in public welfare delivery. Recognising them as formal employees, ensuring fair wages and social security, and integrating them into skill programmes are essential steps for building a stronger and more equitable care economy.

Question for practice:

Examine the challenges faced by ‘volunteer’ care workers such as ASHAs and Anganwadi workers in India, and discuss the measures required to recognise and strengthen their role in the country’s care economy.

Source: The Hindu