VIJAYAWADA: Accredited Social Health Activists, popularly known as ASHA workers, who act as an important link between the people and the healthcare system, have got several boons from the State government.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has approved the payment of gratuity and paid maternity leave to ASHA workers, besides enhancing their retirement age to 62 years from the existing 60. In all, 42,752 ASHA workers are set to get the new benefits in the State.
The gratuity benefit ensures each ASHA worker with 30 years of service gets Rs 1.50 lakh. This is said to be the first such benefit being extended to ASHA workers in the country as no other State/Union Territory is paying gratuity to them.
At a review meeting with Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav and senior officials on February 27, the Chief Minister discussed the demands of ASHA workers in pursuance of fulfilling the pre- election assurances given to them.
The Chief Minister also approved extending 180 days of paid maternity leave for the first two deliveries to ASHA workers.
Earlier also, Naidu was committed to the welfare of ASHA workers. In 2018, the TDP government provided smartphones to ASHA workers, besides giving preference to them in the recruitment of ANMs.
It also extended the benefit of Chandranna Bima Yojana and NTR Vaidya Seva to ASHA workers, besides allowing them to retire at the age of 60 years with eligibility for old age pension.
The monthly wage of Rs 10,000 being paid to ASHA workers in Andhra Pradesh is said to be the highest in the country. Himachal Pradesh is paying Rs 2,000, Rajasthan Rs 2,700, West Bengal Rs 3,000, Delhi Rs 3,000, Haryana Rs 4,000, Karnataka Rs 4,000, Kerala Rs 5,000, Sikkim Rs 6,000 and Telangana Rs 7,500 to ASHA workers.
Satya Kumar Yadav thanked the Chief Minister for fulfilling the long pending demands of ASHA workers.
Taking to ‘X’, the Health Minister said the historic decisions taken up by the Chief Minister for the well-being of ASHA workers is a proof to the commitment of the NDA government to the development of medical and health sector.