in announcing the 2008-2009 budget, then indian finance minister p. chidambaram stated that salaries would be increased for anganwadi workers to ₹15000 per month and for helpers to ₹6500 per month. in his budget speech for the financial year 2011-2012, his successor pranab mukherjee announced that the salary of anganwadi workers would be increased to ₹3000 per month and for helpers to ₹1500 per month — about one tenth of the salary of a government office assistant.