LUCKNOW, Sept. 9 -- Ahead of 'Poshan Maah' that begins on Wednesday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday announced major benefits for UP's 2.91 lakh anganwadi workers and helpers from the holy city of Ayodhya. These included a 50% hike in honorarium, Rs 5 lakh cashless health cover for the families, an extra saree and smartphones to make their centres smart. He said workers' honorarium will go up from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 per month and helpers' from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000. "All anganwadi workers, helpers and their families will get cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh every year at empanelled, government hospitals and medical colleges," he announced, adding that three sarees will be given instead of two. The CM was addressing around 12,000 workers and helpers at the ICDS felicitation ceremony at Ayodhya Dham - with ministers, MPs, MLAs and workers joining from all 75 districts virtually. He distributed appointment letters to newly-recruited anganwadi workers and helpers. Terming anganwadi centres as the foundation for a healthy India, Adityanath recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2018 comparison of their role to Mata Yashoda. "After mother, small children have their first interaction with anganwadi workers. If childhood is healthy, India will become healthy, capable, self-reliant and developed." He listed transformations since 2017 - when workers got just Rs 3,000 and helpers Rs 1,500. Then, the honorarium was linked to performance and raised to Rs 8,000 and Rs 4,000. Now the second jump. He also mentioned 1.28 lakh smartphones given in the first phase for real-time data entry and Rs 20 crore extra for the third saree at Rs 500 each. After the announcement, the UP government issued an order enhancing honorarium of anganwadi workers and helpers. Additional chief secretary (women welfare and child development, Leena Johri issued the GO. The enhanced honorarium will be effective from September 2026 and be paid in October 2026. The GO noted that the hike had been decided keeping in view increased workload of anganwadi workers and helpers - early childhood care and education (ECCE), nutrition services, growing use of digital platforms and their role in convergence of various departmental schemes. Attacking previous regimes, Adityanath said before 2017, the centres were dilapidated, children brought mats to sit, and there was no drinking water, while the Centre's money for nutrition was captured by mafia. "The Centre gave money, but there was an insensitive government in the state. It did not buy anything for these anganwadi centres, and funnelled these funds to mafias. Thus, anganwadi centres had remained deserted," Adityanath said. On Ayodhya's makeover, the CM said: "Ten years ago, there was neither electricity nor roads. Today, Ayodhya has four-lane roads, grand railway station and an international airport named after Maharishi Valmiki. Single railway line is now double, Ram Ki Paidi rejuvenated...Ayodhya has become a solar city." "SP and Congress not only opposed Ram Temple, but also opposed roads, railway station and airport in the city. They are opposed to heritage and development. Despite opposition, neither Ram Temple movement stopped nor Ayodhya's development. Today, Ram Lalla is seated in the grand temple and the world is witnessing transformation," he said....