Hyderabad, May 30 -- In a major decision, the Telangana government has approved higher retirement benefits for Anganwadi teachers and helpers across the state.

The Finance Department has cleared a proposal from the Women and Child Welfare Department, allowing the government to issue a formal order soon.

Under the revised benefits, retired Anganwadi teachers will receive Rs.2 lakh, and helpers will get Rs.1 lakh. Earlier, the retirement benefit was Rs.1 lakh for teachers and Rs.50,000 for helpers.

Telangana currently has over 37,580 Anganwadi centres, with nearly 70,000 staff members-one teacher and one helper at each centre. About 7,000 employees retire every year, with the retirement age set at 65 years.

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