<p>Bengaluru: Despite the state health minister’s assurance of paying <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/karnataka-government-offers-to-pay-rs-95k-as-advance-to-asha-workers-3347145">ASHA workers Rs 9,500 in advance </a>every month, the state union body representing them announced on Thursday that their protest will continue as the department has failed to address their core concerns. </p><p>The Karnataka Rajya Samyuktha Asha Karyakarthara Sangha has placed before the state health department ten demands and continued its protest at Freedom Park on Thursday, which also saw one ASHA worker falling ill due to low blood pressure. </p>.Pay heed to ASHA workers’ demands.<p>Rama T C, vice president of the Sangha, said that the assured Rs 9,500 was conditional. “If enough entries are not made on the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal or they are not reflected, then the amount will be lower. We receive between Rs 8,000 and Rs 9,000 now, subject to the tasks we complete,” she said, adding that the ASHA workers “reject” the health minister’s offer.</p><p>“We have been demanding the state to remove these conditions and pay us Rs 15,000 each month. Since we were told that this amount would not at all be possible, we are demanding at least Rs 10,000 in total, besides the RCH portal’s task-based incentives,” she explained.</p><p>Currently, the Centre provides Rs 2,000 as a fixed monthly honorarium while the state pays ASHA workers Rs 5,000. They are demanding the state to increase its share to Rs 8,000 per worker. They also get paid an additional Rs 1,500 for 34 tasks they take up in primary health centres (PHCs), but they allege that this is inconsistent.</p><p>The protest will continue until these conditions are met, said the workers.</p><p>State health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao reiterated: “We are among the highest-paying states across the country. I have informed them that we will bring this issue up before the Budget and try to increase their honorarium".</p><p><strong>Key demands</strong></p><p>*Fix monthly honorarium at Rs 15,000. </p><p>*Pay ASHA workers working in urban areas an additional Rs 2,000. </p><p>*Release pending incentive money. </p><p>*Provide Rs 5 lakh as a one-time retirement benefit. </p><p>*Stop “forced” mobile phone-based tasks or provide additional funds for data and alternatives for those who cannot use smartphones.</p><p>*Consider ASHA workers as government employees and provide necessary benefits.</p><p>*Conduct yearly health check-ups for all ASHA workers.</p><p><strong>Proposal to be sent to the Centre</strong></p><p>ASHA workers across the country will also be presenting a proposal before the Centre to recognise them as government employees, pay them Rs 29,000 as per minimum wage, and provide facilities as other government employees. If this occurs, the demands to raise the monthly honorarium will be ceased. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Despite the state health minister’s assurance of paying <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/karnataka-government-offers-to-pay-rs-95k-as-advance-to-asha-workers-3347145">ASHA workers Rs 9,500 in advance </a>every month, the state union body representing them announced on Thursday that their protest will continue as the department has failed to address their core concerns. </p><p>The Karnataka Rajya Samyuktha Asha Karyakarthara Sangha has placed before the state health department ten demands and continued its protest at Freedom Park on Thursday, which also saw one ASHA worker falling ill due to low blood pressure. </p>.Pay heed to ASHA workers’ demands.<p>Rama T C, vice president of the Sangha, said that the assured Rs 9,500 was conditional. “If enough entries are not made on the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal or they are not reflected, then the amount will be lower. We receive between Rs 8,000 and Rs 9,000 now, subject to the tasks we complete,” she said, adding that the ASHA workers “reject” the health minister’s offer.</p><p>“We have been demanding the state to remove these conditions and pay us Rs 15,000 each month. Since we were told that this amount would not at all be possible, we are demanding at least Rs 10,000 in total, besides the RCH portal’s task-based incentives,” she explained.</p><p>Currently, the Centre provides Rs 2,000 as a fixed monthly honorarium while the state pays ASHA workers Rs 5,000. They are demanding the state to increase its share to Rs 8,000 per worker. They also get paid an additional Rs 1,500 for 34 tasks they take up in primary health centres (PHCs), but they allege that this is inconsistent.</p><p>The protest will continue until these conditions are met, said the workers.</p><p>State health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao reiterated: “We are among the highest-paying states across the country. I have informed them that we will bring this issue up before the Budget and try to increase their honorarium".</p><p><strong>Key demands</strong></p><p>*Fix monthly honorarium at Rs 15,000. </p><p>*Pay ASHA workers working in urban areas an additional Rs 2,000. </p><p>*Release pending incentive money. </p><p>*Provide Rs 5 lakh as a one-time retirement benefit. </p><p>*Stop “forced” mobile phone-based tasks or provide additional funds for data and alternatives for those who cannot use smartphones.</p><p>*Consider ASHA workers as government employees and provide necessary benefits.</p><p>*Conduct yearly health check-ups for all ASHA workers.</p><p><strong>Proposal to be sent to the Centre</strong></p><p>ASHA workers across the country will also be presenting a proposal before the Centre to recognise them as government employees, pay them Rs 29,000 as per minimum wage, and provide facilities as other government employees. If this occurs, the demands to raise the monthly honorarium will be ceased. </p>