3 months ago
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More than a twelvemonth aft Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced successful January 2025 that Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers successful Karnataka would beryllium paid a fixed monthly honorarium of ₹10,000, the determination is yet to beryllium formally notified and implemented, triggering different circular of protests. There are astir 42000 ASHA workers successful Karnataka.
ASHA workers person called for different onslaught connected February 12, marking their third major protest since the announcement past year. The first protest was held successful August 2025, nearly six months aft the committedness was made, followed by another protest in December during the wintertime session. ASHA Union members accidental the repeated agitations bespeak increasing vexation implicit the government’s nonaccomplishment to construe its assurances into action.
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Increasing honorarium to ₹15,000
At present, ASHA workers person ₹8,000 per month, including all benefits. With their workload expanding and surviving costs rising, peculiarly successful Bengaluru, the workers person been demanding a revision in remuneration since 2024.
The ASHA Workers’ Union has been seeking a fixed monthly honorarium of ₹15,000, on with an additional ₹2,000 for city-based workers. A ₹10,000 fixed honorarium, however, was reiterated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on January 11, 2025, pursuing a elaborate gathering with Health Department officials and representatives of the ASHA Union.
The meeting had also resulted successful assurances that workers would proceed to person incentives for additional tasks undertaken arsenic portion of their duties, and that they would beryllium entitled to 3 months of paid permission successful lawsuit of hospitalisation due to superior illness.
However, national leaders accidental nary of the assurances have materialised so far. Mahalakshmi P., an ASHA idiosyncratic successful the city, said they person been warring for just attraction for nearly a decade. Recalling a protestation successful February 2024, she said the agitation was withdrawn aft assurances from the Chief Minister. “We went backmost with the assurance that our demands would beryllium met. Since then, aggregate high-level meetings person been held, but thing has moved connected the ground,” she lamented.
Neglected workforce
Rama T.C., State Vice-President of the ASHA Workers’ Union, said ASHA workers are cardinal to healthcare transportation successful some agrarian and municipality areas, but proceed to beryllium neglected. “We ensure basic healthcare and hygiene adjacent successful the astir distant corners of the State. Yet, we are treated the worst,” she said, highlighting that aggregate meetings were held precocious with the Health Minister and the Health Commissioner, but the efforts person not yielded results.
The ASHA Union besides reminded the government, up of the State budget, of its earlier assurance that budgetary allocation for ASHA workers would beryllium increased. The workers said they expect the upcoming fund to bespeak connected this commitment, adjacent arsenic the promised honorarium hike remains unnotified.
