The termination of an Anganwadi worker who had posted social media videos to highlight the poor quality of foodgrains received by the anganwadi for children, was revoked after outrage on Friday (August 21, 2026). The local administration said the revocation was done after the Anganwadi worker wrote an apology letter, seeking to be reinstated in view of her 18 years of service. The decision by the ICDS Commissioner to terminate her services was revoked by the CEO of Pune Zilla Parishad.
Reshma alias Devyani Pardhi, a tribal Anganwadi worker serving at Numberwadi in Ambegaon taluka in Pune, had made social media reels showing the quality of white dried peas in her video. She had claimed that the peas remained uncooked despite being pressure cooked in the cooker for up to 10 whistles. She said the food given to the children was not being consumed by them, leading to complaints by parents. She had sought for the government to take action in the matter.
She was terminated from her services on August 14. This led to an outcry. The opposition targeted the government over the action. The administration thereafter revoked its decision on Friday. “The decision has nothing to do with the media coverage. The action was taken against her on the basis of her behaviour where she repeatedly published reels during class hours. She has apologised and she has said she will not do this again. There is a system which is to be followed. If you have any concerns, you are supposed to raise it in writing to your immediate superior. We will also verify about her concerns,” Gajanan Patil, CEO of Pune Zilla Parishad, told The Hindu on Friday.
Ms. Pardhi told the media that she had only raised concerns regarding students’ health and welfare. “I have not spoken against the government. I have not criticised it,” she said. The Hindu also accessed the letter Ms. Pardhi wrote to the CEO of Pune Zilla Parishad. The two-page hand-written note by Ms. Pardhi on foolscap paper stated, “My only intention was that the small children should get healthy, nutritious and quality food, so their health remains well. I apologise if this has led to any indiscipline or breaking error about using the social media. If my action has led to any misunderstanding about the functioning of the department, I express regret about it.”
Madhavi Sardeshmukh, Commissioner of ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services Scheme), said there were previous complaints against her, and the action was taken much before the matter came to light in the media. “Administratively, if you are given instructions, you are supposed to follow them. She had not raised the concerns with the authorities. She had the habit of making reels during working hours. She was warned against it by the administration earlier as well,” she said.
When asked about the concerns raised by the anganwadi worker, Ms. Sardeshmukh said that the process of replacing white peas with green peas was taken last month, and that the procurement for it had already taken place. “The distribution will begin from next week,” she said.
Ms. Pardhi has been asked to give written reports to the immediate superiors in case of any concerns, officials said.
Opposition slams govt
NCP (SP) Lok Sabha member Amol Kolhe slammed the administration’, terming the disciplinary action against the worker “extremely unfortunate.” “This is a classic case of letting the thief go free while punishing the innocent,” he said. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar took to social media to reprimand the state government for issuing a suspension notice to Ms. Pardhi instead of targeting the suppliers.
Published – August 22, 2026 08:42 am IST
