VIJAYAWADA: The state government has become the first in the country to grant gratuity to Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). On Tuesday, orders were issued approving gratuity payments, enhanced maternity leave, and an increase in the retirement age for these grassroots health workers.
According to the government’s decision, each retiring ASHA will receive Rs 1.5 lakh, calculated at a maximum of Rs 5,000 per year of service. With approximately 43,000 ASHAs serving across the state, the total gratuity outlay will be Rs 645 crore. The government has also sanctioned six months of paid maternity leave for each of the first two deliveries and increased the retirement age of health assistants from 60 to 62 years.
Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav thanked CM for meeting the long-pending demands of ASHA workers despite the financial implications.