Cong joins protest against Asha condoms in Rajasthan

The Congress in Rajasthan on Saturday protested against naming male contraceptives as ‘Asha’.  After gaining momentum among women health workers or Accredited Social Health Workers (ASHA) in Uttarakhand and Punjab, now the voices of dissent have reached Rajasthan.

Social and women’s groups, NGOs and civil society have raised objection against the name because it is embarrassing for ASHA women campaigners, who have been asked to distribute these contraceptives door-to-door under the National Health Mission scheme.

Rajasthan Congress vice-president Archana Sharma termed it a thoughtless decision of the central government. “This decision of the central government is causing an embarrassment for ASHA women workers in anganwadi centres. There is a strong demand to ban the product or change its name by the workers because naming these after women health workers is insensitive,” Archana, also party media chairperson, told DH. Similar concerns were raised by social workers.

Kavita Srivastava of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties said, “The name of the contraceptive has been changed from Nirodh to Asha Nirodh. A lot of women workers have been calling me and expressing their concern as they feel harassed and are becoming a topic of undignified jokes. We are planning to send protest letters to Union Health Minister J P Nadda to drop the name and withdraw the contraceptives.”