<p>Thiruvananthapuram: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA workers) of Kerala on Thursday launched an indefinite hunger strike as the government is yet to respond positively to their demand for increasing remuneration even as their indefinite stir in front of the government secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram entered the 39th day.</p> <p>Even as state health minister Veena George rushed to Delhi on Thursday to meet union health minister J P Nadda, the ASHA workers suspected that it was an eye wash as the minister did not even take an appointment with the union minister. The minister also told reporters in Delhi that her main purpose of visit was a meeting with a Cuban delegation.</p> <p>The stir by ASHA workers has already snowballed into a major row in Kerala and is receiving support from various quarters. The Pinarayi Vijayan government is being widely accused of taking a stubborn stand towards the plight of the ASHA workers. The 25,000 odd ASHA workers of the state were widely appreciated as state's foot soldiers in the fight against COVID-19.</p>.Kerala Health Minister flies to Delhi to raise ASHA workers issue before Centre.<p>Three ASHA workers including Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association state general secretary M A Bindu started the indefinite hunger strike. The association leaders said that they would end the stir only once the government accepted their demands.</p> <p>In an embarrassment to the left-front government, the daughter of a former CPI leader inaugurated the stir. Kerala disaster management authority former member K G Thara, who is the daughter of CPI leader K Govindapillai, strongly criticized the state government in her inaugural address. "I am feeling ashamed to term the ruling government a left-front government as the government is neglecting the basic demands of the weaker sections of the society," she said.</p> <p>The action council leader S Mini said that the meetings held by the health minister on Wednesday was only a name sake one as their basic demands like increasing honorarium and retirement benefits were not at all considered by citing government's financial crunches.</p> <p>Increasing honorarium to Rs. 21,000 as assured in the CPI(M)'s 2021 election manifesto and retirement benefit of Rs. 5 lakh are the key demands of the ASHA workers.</p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA workers) of Kerala on Thursday launched an indefinite hunger strike as the government is yet to respond positively to their demand for increasing remuneration even as their indefinite stir in front of the government secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram entered the 39th day.</p> <p>Even as state health minister Veena George rushed to Delhi on Thursday to meet union health minister J P Nadda, the ASHA workers suspected that it was an eye wash as the minister did not even take an appointment with the union minister. The minister also told reporters in Delhi that her main purpose of visit was a meeting with a Cuban delegation.</p> <p>The stir by ASHA workers has already snowballed into a major row in Kerala and is receiving support from various quarters. The Pinarayi Vijayan government is being widely accused of taking a stubborn stand towards the plight of the ASHA workers. The 25,000 odd ASHA workers of the state were widely appreciated as state's foot soldiers in the fight against COVID-19.</p>.Kerala Health Minister flies to Delhi to raise ASHA workers issue before Centre.<p>Three ASHA workers including Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association state general secretary M A Bindu started the indefinite hunger strike. The association leaders said that they would end the stir only once the government accepted their demands.</p> <p>In an embarrassment to the left-front government, the daughter of a former CPI leader inaugurated the stir. Kerala disaster management authority former member K G Thara, who is the daughter of CPI leader K Govindapillai, strongly criticized the state government in her inaugural address. "I am feeling ashamed to term the ruling government a left-front government as the government is neglecting the basic demands of the weaker sections of the society," she said.</p> <p>The action council leader S Mini said that the meetings held by the health minister on Wednesday was only a name sake one as their basic demands like increasing honorarium and retirement benefits were not at all considered by citing government's financial crunches.</p> <p>Increasing honorarium to Rs. 21,000 as assured in the CPI(M)'s 2021 election manifesto and retirement benefit of Rs. 5 lakh are the key demands of the ASHA workers.</p>