BHOPAL : Asha (Accredited Social Health Activist) and Usha (Urban Social Health Activist) workers from across the state will gather in state capital to stage protest on Diwali to press for their demands.
“Health minister Prabhuram Chowdhary had assured us four months ago that our honorarium will be increased but no development has taken place,” said Laxmi Kaurav, state president of MP Asha Usha Shramik Sangh.
“Our Diwali will be without lights as government has not fulfilled the assurances it has given us,” said Kaurav.
Explaining about demands and grievances, Kaurav said that they are paid Rs 2,000 per month. Some incentive on routine vaccination for children is also given, which amounts to Rs 200-Rs 500. But Asha and Usha workers have been entrusted with responsibilities that any staff or employee of health department has, she added.
“Our main demands include giving honorarium at par with government employees discharging same responsibilities like us. We should be paid at least minimum wages as per government instructions,” Kaurav said.
Another Asha worker said chief minister had recently announced sops for all government and semi-government employees including Anganwadi workers but didn’t utter a word about Asha workers. “We were termed as Covid warriors but nobody is thinking about us,” she added.
Kaurav said Asha workers from across the state will assemble at Neelam Park on November 4 and stage sit-in to press for their demands.
