BENGALURU: Following assurances from the state government, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) withdrew their statewide strike on Thursday, after protesting for 20 days. On Wednesday, the protesters were met by Health Minister B Sriramulu, Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey and state nodal officers for ASHA workers, Prabhu Gowda, who assured them that their demands will be resolved as soon as possible by holding talks with the government.
A day prior to their protest in the city, talks were held between Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan and the Health Minister, and two days’ time was sought to address their demands. The workers had been protesting since July 10, demanding a fixed monthly honorarium of Rs 12,000 a month. They were also seeking adequate supply of PPE kits as they are frontline Covid warriors, involved in house-to-house surveys to trace those with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection, Influenza-like illness, cold, cough, fever, comorbidities and travel history. They also identify people for quarantine, take swab tests, conduct health screenings at inter-state borders among others.