ASHA workers unsung heroes: Kerala’s Cong MPs slam ‘blame game’ between Centre, state

“Despite being overburdened with responsibilities and working 12-14 hours a day, ASHA workers are still classified as volunteers, and they receive meager honorariums and incentives, which are often delayed, leaving them and their families struggling financially,” Tharoor said, adding that in ASHA workers in Kerala only earn `7,000 a month, and have not been paid for months.

“They have staged nationwide protests over the years demanding official employee status, payment of arrears, better working conditions, retirement benefits, and access to mental and social security services. Their ongoing protest highlights the systemic undervaluation of community health workers in India and in particular in Kerala,” Tharoor said.

Tharoor urged the Union Health Minister to take immediate action in coordination with state governments to address their concerns.

Alappuzha MP K C Venugopal said that a “duplicitous blame game” was being played by the Centre and Kerala government when it comes to providing ASHA workers the honorarium they deserve.

“ASHA workers are the backbone of our healthcare system and yet they are forced to protest in the sweltering heat of Thiruvananthapuram for an entire month because neither the state nor the Centre are concerned about their financial security,” Venugopal said, and demanded that the Centre take urgent measures to ensure that the workers’ honorariums are cleared at the earliest.

He also urged that their key demands of a hike in honorarium, fixed retirement age with retirement benefits and fixed working hours are met.

While the state government is blaming the Congress for the agitation, he said, the Centre is blaming the state government for it.

Vadakara MP Shafi Parambil said that the word “ASHA” resonates with “hope” in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and many other languages. However, ASHA workers who serve tirelessly, he said, are being mistreated by governments, denied even minimum wages.

Senior Congress MPs Kodikunnil Suresh and Benny Behanan had given notice on adjournment motion to discuss the issue urgently. RSP’s N K Premchandran too also raised the issue of the plight of ASHA workers and their agitation.