Asha workers stage a protest in city

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers from all over Karnataka staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Karnataka Rajya Sanyukta ASHA Karyakartara Sangha (KRSAKS), which comes under the All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) umbrella organised the demonstration amid heavy rain for some time. KRSAKS claims to be the biggest union of ASHA workers in the state. Former Lokayukta and Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde and ASHA programme director Prabhudev Gowda were in attendance.

ASHA workers came into being in 2005 and are a part of the National Rural Health Mission to bridge the gap between the community and the state health apparatus. They come under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Reducing the infant and maternal mortality rates are chief among the goals which they seek to accomplish. They also carry out health-related surveys.

The main demands of the protesters were payment of dues and hiking of salaries. ASHA workers said that they are paid by both State and Central governments both. The latter pays them incentives through the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal for work done. For this work done is submitted in a programme called ASHA soft. Many a time work done isn’t submitted in the programme, which results in non-payment of incentives.

Some ASHA workers on condition of anonymity said that people within Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Urban Health Centres (UHCs) demanded bribes in return for feeding of work done so that the incentives get released.

Ex-Lokayukta lauds demonstrators
Former Lokayukta Justice N. Santosh Hegde praised the resolve of the ASHA workers. “I am of the opinion that there is no difference between ASHA workers and government workers, and it is unfortunate that the legislature and the administrative wings have turned a blind eye towards your issues,” he said.

Neelamma, an ASHA worker from Jambur village from Channarayaptana taluka in Hassan district said that the biggest issue was dues.

“I haven’t received my salary for three months. Whats more is that I haven’t gotten RCH incentive money since three years,” she said. Thahira Banu who works in Ghattadahalli village in Belur taluka in Hassan district echoed the complaints. “I haven’t received my salary for three months and incentives from RCH portal in three years. They were giving us Rs1,000 a month extra as Covid relief. That stopped in March,” she said.