ASHA Workers Announce Three-Day Protest Starting August 12

Speedy Summary

• ASHA workers in Karnataka plan a three-day State-level day-adn-night protest starting August 12.
• The protest is demanding a fixed honorarium of ₹10,000 monthly as promised by the State government in January.
• The Karnataka Rajya Samyukta ASHA Karyakartheyara Sangha alleges that no official order for the honorarium has been issued, despite promises to begin payments from April 2025.
• Issues raised include delays in disbursing the ₹1,000 incentive announced for ASHA workers in the state Budget 2025-26.
• Additional demands include changes to performance evaluation methods, population limit reassignment per worker, protection from unjust dismissal and introduction of retirement benefits akin to West BengalS model.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The impending protest highlights ongoing challenges faced by ASHA workers-who play a critical role in healthcare delivery at the grass-roots level-regarding adequate compensation and systemic issues. Despite assurances by the Karnataka government earlier this year on fixed honorariums and incentives, the lack of implementation underlines administrative delays or gaps. These concerns not only affect worker morale but can also impact public health services reliant on their outreach.

Given their integral contribution to India’s health sector, addressing grievances raised by ASHA workers would enhance service delivery while ensuring equitable recognition of their work.The call for retirement benefits reflects an intent toward long-term financial security for these community-based professionals. It is indeed thus crucial that both state and central governments resolve these matters promptly through dialog and actionable policies.

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