Kerala govt announces hike for ASHA workers, free KSRTC travel from June 15
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Thiruvananthapuram: The newly sworn-in UDF government in Kerala on Monday announced a series of welfare measures, including free travel for women in KSRTC buses from June 15, enhanced honorariums for ASHA and Anganwadi workers, and the creation of a separate department for elderly persons.
Announcing the decisions taken at the first Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the government had decided to implement two of the five guarantees promised by the UDF during the Assembly election campaign.
The five guarantees were announced by Rahul Gandhi during the launch of the UDF campaign in March this year. They included free KSRTC bus travel for women, a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 for girl students in colleges, an increase in welfare pension to Rs 3,000, health insurance coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh per household, and interest-free loans of up to Rs 5 lakh for young entrepreneurs. The proposal for a separate department for elderly persons was also part of the guarantees.
The announcements came despite the UDF repeatedly claiming that Kerala’s financial condition was in crisis. Satheesan said the government would soon release a white paper detailing the state’s financial situation and the condition of the treasury.
“The first Cabinet meeting decided to implement two Indira Guarantees offered by the UDF. First of all, free travel for women in KSRTC buses. It will be implemented from June 15 onwards. The details will be informed later,” he said.
The Cabinet also approved the formation of a dedicated department for elderly people, which Satheesan described as possibly the first such department in the country.
“We think the way a society respects old-age people is the measurement for checking whether that society is civilised or not. Our dream is that Kerala can declare to the world that we are looking after our elderly people decently,” he said.
“Definitely, we have to protect each and every old-age person. We will not allow them to be alone. The government is with them. Kerala is with them. That is the message,” the Chief Minister added.
Satheesan further announced that the government would increase the monthly honorarium of ASHA workers by Rs 3,000, fulfilling a promise made during their prolonged protest outside the Secretariat.
“When the ASHA workers were on the streets in front of the Secretariat and had started a long-term agitation, I myself went there, and many UDF leaders also visited them. We had promised to take action to resolve their problems and that the first Cabinet would take a decision in your favour. So we kept our word,” he said.
The Cabinet also approved an additional Rs 1,000 per month for Anganwadi workers and helpers, school cooking staff, pre-primary teachers, and ayahs.
“For the Anganwadi workers and helpers, we are increasing Rs 1,000 per month. For the cooking staff in schools, we are giving an additional Rs 1,000 per month. For pre-primary teachers and ayahs also, their honorarium has been increased by Rs 1,000,” Satheesan said.
The Chief Minister also announced key decisions regarding the first session of the new Assembly. Senior MLA G Sudhakaran has been recommended as pro-tem Speaker. The government has requested the Governor to convene the Assembly for the swearing-in of MLAs and the election of the Speaker.
According to the schedule, the swearing-in of MLAs will be held on May 21, the Speaker’s election on May 22, and the Governor’s policy address on May 29.
G Sudhakaran, a former CPI(M) minister and MLA who contested as a UDF-backed Independent from Ambalapuzha, won the Assembly election after not renewing his party membership.
The Cabinet also decided to appoint senior advocate Jaju Babu as Advocate General and senior advocate T Asaf Ali as Director General of Prosecution.
In another major decision, the government approved the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to reinvestigate the alleged assault on two Youth Congress workers by the gunmen of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during a protest against the Nava Kerala Yatra in Alappuzha in 2023.
A D Thomas, who later won the Assembly election from Alappuzha, was among the injured Youth Congress leaders in the incident.
Satheesan said the court had earlier rejected the prosecution’s arguments and ordered a reinvestigation, but alleged that the previous government failed to implement the directive for more than a year.
“Unfortunately, for the last one-and-a-half years, the government had not issued an order for reinvestigation. So the first Cabinet decided to constitute a Special Investigation Team for carrying out the reinvestigation ordered by the court,” he said.
Responding to allegations of political vendetta, Satheesan said the government was merely implementing the court’s order. “But we don’t forget anything,” he added.
With PTI inputs