Kerala Health Minister flies to Delhi to raise ASHA workers issue before Centre

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Thursday flew to the national capital to raise the issue of ASHA workers' demanding a hike in their honorarium and indicate the state's stand on the issue.

Speaking to reporters at the airport here in the morning, George said it is the central government which is responsible for increasing the honorarium and other incentives of the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers.

"They have not increased it for the last 20 years. Will tell them (Centre) everything we (state) have to say including the need to increase the honorarium of the ASHA workers," she said.

Her move comes as a section of ASHA workers, who have been protesting outside the Secretariat for more than a month, gear up to hold an indefinite hunger strike starting from Thursday.

They had made the announcement regarding the hunger strike a day ago after their talks with the state government failed.

The protesters had held two rounds of discussions on Wednesday, first with the state Health Mission authorities in the morning and later with Health Minister George in the afternoon.

However, the leaders of the protesting ASHA workers told the media that both talks had failed, as the government was unwilling to meet their "basic demands," including the honorarium increase.

Later, George had held a press conference to clarify the government's position on the matter.

"We requested them to end the ongoing agitation and assured that the state government would do as much as possible for them," she had said.

George assured the agitators that she would hold a meeting with the union health minister this week itself and present their demands for incentive hike and to change guidelines with regard to their work.

Hundreds of ASHA workers had on Monday laid a siege to the state's Secretariat here raising their various demands.

According to the Left government in the state, it has not received any cash grant from the central government under the National Health Mission (NHM) for 2023-24 for payment towards various Centre-sponsored schemes, including for ASHA.

The central government has, however, rejected the state's claims and contended that it has given what was due, but the utilisation certificate has not come from Kerala.

It said that once the certificate comes, the requisite amount would be given to the ASHA workers and the state.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda had also announced in the Parliament that the Mission Steering Group of the NHM has decided to raise the incentives of ASHA workers.