BENGALURU: Accredited Social Health Activists’ (ASHAs) called off their strike as Health Minister KR Ramesh Kumar agreed to the workers being paid a Rs 3,000 fixed monthly salary, not linked to performance.
The workers’ wages were hiked from the existing Rs 1,000 fixed amount that they got every month. The workers had initially demanded Rs 6,000. Principal Health Secretary Shalini Rajneesh said: “Health Minister assured Rs 3,000 monthly salary to all ASHA workers out of state funds. Moreover ASHAs can avail of National Health Mission (NHM) funds through performance incentives.
He also clarified that no other state is providing this much non-incentive linked assured amount to ASHAs. Even Telangana is giving performance-linked amount and not salary as claimed by the union.” Neither D Nagalakshmi, secretary, Karnataka ASHA Workers’ Union, who was part of the meeting nor Dr Rajkumar N, ASHA nodal officer, were available for comment. Around 15,000 workers along with their children had braved the rain and the cold weather over the past two days at Freedom Park to demand fixed monthly payment.
Other decisions to aid workers
Free bus passes
Free houses to homeless ASHAs (6,000 such workers have been identified)
Promotion of Self Help Groups (SHGs) among them.
Shortage of Thayi card to be addressed
Delegation of data entry work of ASHA Soft to existing data entry operators in the taluk for 15 days from 11th to 25th of the month