'Government supports increasing the honorarium'; listened to ASHA workers' concerns with empathy, says Minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister Veena George revealed that the first request that she made to the ASHA workers during today’s discussions was to call off their ongoing strike. She mentioned that this request was also made during the meeting on March 15. Speaking at a press conference, she clarified that the discussions with the protesters lasted for around an hour and a half.

The Minister highlighted that the government is taking all necessary steps regarding the ASHA workers' concerns.

"The main issue raised by the ASHA workers was the honorarium. The state government provides a 7,000 rupee honorarium, with an additional 3,000 rupees fixed incentive from both the state and central governments. Of this, 1,600 rupees are provided by the Centre, and 1,400 rupees by the state. Moreover, there are additional incentives for each service rendered. The government is working on improving the working conditions for ASHA workers. A list related to insurance protection has been sent to the Centre. The State Health Agency is currently in talks with the Centre on this matter. There have been some misleading campaigns regarding this issue," the minister said.

“We listened to the ASHA workers’ demands with empathy. They requested two major changes: increasing the honorarium to 21,000 rupees and providing five lakh rupees upon retirement. The government supports increasing the honorarium. However, demanding a threefold increase is unrealistic. We believe in democratic processes, and the government has assured them that it will do what is feasible. The government’s stance is the most favourable for ASHA workers," the Minister stated.

In response to the failure of talks with the Health Minister, ASHA workers have decided to move forward with their hunger strike. They said that the topics of honorarium and other key issues were not discussed during the meeting.