Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) affiliated to the All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) staged a protest in front of the Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer’s office in Karwar on Tuesday as part of a State-wide protest week, demanding a minimum monthly remuneration of ₹15,000 and timely payment of incentives and honorarium.
The protesters also demanded that they not be compelled to use mobile phones or digital applications for recording their work without adequate devices and technical support.
AIUTUC honorary advisor Gangadhar Badiger said the State government had increased the honorarium of ASHA workers by only ₹1,500 over the past nine years, while the cost of living had risen considerably. He said incentive payments and honorarium had also been delayed for nearly a year, causing financial difficulties for the workers.
The protesters demanded that the State honorarium and Centre’s incentives together be fixed at a minimum of ₹15,000 a month.
District president Padma Chalavadi said ASHA workers were being allegedly compelled to use the ‘Samasta’ application despite several workers not having mobile phones and facing technical and server-related problems.
She said digital documentation was increasing the workload of ASHA workers, who were required to maintain both physical and digital records. “ASHA workers are not opposed to technology, but adequate devices and technical support should be provided,” she said.
Receiving the memorandum, District Health Officer Sanjay Doddamani assured the protesters that instructions would be issued to ensure that ASHA workers were not compelled to use the Samasta application.
Zilla Panchayat deputy secretary Allah Baksh said a meeting would be convened to discuss the workers’ other demands. He directed the Health Department officials to submit a report on the steps taken to address the issues before the meeting.
