Kerala ASHAs Demand Honorarium Hike, Call on Govt to Fulfill Promise

Quick Summary

• Kerala Accredited Social health Activists (ASHAs), through the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA), have welcomed the National Health Mission’s decision to moderately increase incentives and retirement benefits for ASHAs.
• KAHWA urged the State government to fulfill its promise of increasing honorariums for ASHAs following the Centre’s hike in incentives.
• A section of ASHA workers in Kerala has been on strike for over 170 days, demanding better pay, pensions, and retirement benefits. Their movement has gained national attention as a significant labor issue.
• The demands raised by striking ASHAs were debated in both Houses of Parliament and gathered considerable public support.
• The Centre recently increased retirement benefits from ₹20,000 to ₹50,000 but no major incentive hike had been made previously for a decade or more.
• KAHWA highlighted that West Bengal provides ₹5 lakh as a retirement benefit to its ASHAs while requesting similar action from Kerala. They also criticized attaching new eligibility criteria to fixed incentives.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The prolonged strike by Kerala’s Accredited Social Health Activists underscores critical challenges faced by India’s grassroots healthcare workers. Their agitation not only spotlighted poor service conditions but elevated discussions around equitable compensation into national platforms like Parliament-illustrating their significance within India’s public health infrastructure.

While the National Health Mission’s recent decisions reflect incremental progress, larger concerns remain regarding systemic disparities across states. As an example, West Bengal’s comparatively higher retirement benefits lend insights into potential benchmarks other states could strive toward. If implemented effectively and nationally aligned with robust state-level support (as seen with pension promises), such measures could strengthen morale among health activists nationwide.

Given that healthcare is pivotal both socially and economically, delayed execution of reforms might risk eroding trust among workers vital to primary care delivery systems. Accelerated state cooperation coupled with inclusive policies can pave a lasting path forward while maintaining India’s focus on grassroots welfare enhancements.

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