ASHA workers begin hunger strike outside Kerala Secretariat
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Thiruvananthapuram: A section of ASHA workers, who have been protesting outside the Kerala Secretariat for 39 days, intensified their agitation on Thursday as three members launched an indefinite hunger strike. Their demands include post-retirement benefits and an increase in honorarium.
The hunger strike began amid slogans against the ruling Left government, with the protesting Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers accusing it of "corruption" and "cruelty" toward them.
Congress leader and former state Health Minister V M Sudheeran met the protestors earlier in the day, extending his support. Speaking to reporters, he criticized the CPI(M) for adopting a "neo-fascist" stance against the protestors. "They appear to be attracted by neo-fascism," he remarked.
When informed that state Health Minister Veena George had traveled to Delhi to raise the ASHA workers' issue, Sudheeran dismissed it as "delayed wisdom."
Speaking to the media at the airport before her departure, George said the central government was responsible for increasing the honorarium and incentives for ASHA workers. "They have not increased it for the last 20 years. We will present our case to them, including the need for a higher honorarium," she stated.
Her visit to Delhi and the hunger strike followed a failed negotiation between the ASHA workers and the state government. On Wednesday, two rounds of discussions took place, one with the state Health Mission authorities in the morning and another with Health Minister George in the afternoon. However, the protest leaders later told the media that both discussions had failed, as the government was unwilling to meet their "basic demands."
Following the talks, George held a press conference to clarify the government’s stance. "We requested them to end the agitation and assured them that the state government would do as much as possible for them," she said.
On Monday, hundreds of ASHA workers had laid siege to the Secretariat, pressing for their demands. The state government has maintained that it has not received any cash grant from the central government under the National Health Mission (NHM) for 2023-24, affecting payments for various Centre-sponsored schemes, including those for ASHA workers.
However, the central government refuted these claims, stating that Kerala had already received its due share but had not submitted the required utilization certificate. It asserted that once the certificate is provided, the pending funds would be released to both the ASHA workers and the state.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda had also informed Parliament that the Mission Steering Group of the NHM had decided to raise the incentives for ASHA workers.
With PTI inputs