ASHA workers stage a sit-in protest in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.
| Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
As part of intensifying their agitation, ASHA workers in Kerala have decided to go on indefinite hunger strike from March 20, 2025.
Three of the ASHAs will go on indefinite hunger strike in front of the Secretariat first from Thursday (March 20), Kerala ASHA Health Workers’ Association (KAHWA) leaders declared here on Monday (March 17).
They said “nothing will dissuade” them from intensifying the strike and that they would continue their agitation till their main demands for increased honorarium and retirement benefits are met by the government.
They had laid siege to the government Secretariat on Monday in a mark of protest over the government’s “dismissal” of the livelihood issues raised by ASHAs.
Govt order issued
Meanwhile, ASHAs agitating for fair remuneration and social security benefits earned a small victory of sorts when the Kerala government on Monday issued a government order (GO) waiving the criteria which were linked to the payment of honorarium given to ASHAs.
Through the GO, the government has also revised the criteria linked to the payment of the fixed incentive given to ASHAs.
The honorarium of ₹7,000 paid to ASHAs was linked to their fulfilling at least five out of the 10 criteria set by the National Health Mission. Similarly, the payment of the fixed incentive of ₹3,000 was linked to a series of conditions which the ASHAs had to fulfil. These criteria have been revised and concessions allowed.
The demand that their honorarium and incentive are not linked to the fulfilment of the set criteria had come from the ASHAs themselves during the initial days of the agitation when they met Kerala Health Minister Veena George.
Following this, a committee was set up to study these demands. On the basis of the report by the State Mission Director of the NHM, the government dicided to waive the criteria linked to the payment of honorarium.
Published – March 17, 2025 03:04 pm IST
