<p>Thiruvananthapuram: Hundreds of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers in Kerala laid siege to the government secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday despite the CPI (M) government's attempts to foil the stir by holding a training programme for them during the day.</p><p>With the government not paying heed to their demands even after 36 days of protest, the ASHA workers have decided to launch an indefinite hunger strike from March 20.</p><p>The ASHA workers are protesting demanding an increase in their monthly honorarium from Rs 7,000 to Rs 21,000, which is an assurance given in the ruling CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front's 2021 election manifesto. The stir has received much support from various quarters of the society considering the much appreciable work of the ASHA workers during situations like Covid-19 outbreak.</p>.ASHA workers agitation 'unnecessary', politically motivated: E P Jayarajan.<p>ASHA workers blocked the main entrance of the government secretariat from Monday morning and later blocked a portion of the MG road in front of the secretariat. The health department on Sunday issued a direction that a palliative care training programme for ASHA workers will be held in several districts on Monday, which was strongly suspected to be a deliberate move to foil the stir. ASHA workers who turned up for the training programmes also expressed solidarity with the stir.</p><p>Opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress, who addressed the agitators, strongly flayed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for not even holding a discussion with the protestors. He also criticised the government for back to back steps to foil the strike.</p><p>Meanwhile, the government on Monday issued orders withdrawing various conditions linked with the honorarium for ASHA workers. It was one of the demands of the ASHA workers to withdraw the set of targets prescribed for paying the monthly honorarium. But the workers are not willing to end the strike until their key demands like hike in honorarium and retirement benefits of Rs 5 lakh are accepted.</p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: Hundreds of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers in Kerala laid siege to the government secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday despite the CPI (M) government's attempts to foil the stir by holding a training programme for them during the day.</p><p>With the government not paying heed to their demands even after 36 days of protest, the ASHA workers have decided to launch an indefinite hunger strike from March 20.</p><p>The ASHA workers are protesting demanding an increase in their monthly honorarium from Rs 7,000 to Rs 21,000, which is an assurance given in the ruling CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front's 2021 election manifesto. The stir has received much support from various quarters of the society considering the much appreciable work of the ASHA workers during situations like Covid-19 outbreak.</p>.ASHA workers agitation 'unnecessary', politically motivated: E P Jayarajan.<p>ASHA workers blocked the main entrance of the government secretariat from Monday morning and later blocked a portion of the MG road in front of the secretariat. The health department on Sunday issued a direction that a palliative care training programme for ASHA workers will be held in several districts on Monday, which was strongly suspected to be a deliberate move to foil the stir. ASHA workers who turned up for the training programmes also expressed solidarity with the stir.</p><p>Opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress, who addressed the agitators, strongly flayed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for not even holding a discussion with the protestors. He also criticised the government for back to back steps to foil the strike.</p><p>Meanwhile, the government on Monday issued orders withdrawing various conditions linked with the honorarium for ASHA workers. It was one of the demands of the ASHA workers to withdraw the set of targets prescribed for paying the monthly honorarium. But the workers are not willing to end the strike until their key demands like hike in honorarium and retirement benefits of Rs 5 lakh are accepted.</p>