Asha workers to be part of anti-drug campaign in Punjab

CHANDIGARH: Punjab’s anti-drug special task force (STF) is planning to involve accredited social health activist (Asha) workers in the implementation of its enforcement-deaddiction-prevention (EDP) strategy to curb drug menace in the state.

In Punjab, there are over 20,000 Asha workers who are trained community health workers as a part of the National Rural Health Mission. These voluntary health workers do not get fixed salary but per project incentives for carrying out immunisation programme, promotion of deliveries in government hospitals and other such programmes.

Anti-drug STF head ADGP Gurpreet Kaur Deo said the STF had a meeting with Asha workers’ union representatives earlier this week. “We have got a positive response from them and they would be helping us in our anti-drug campaign as they work at the grass root level and know the villagers as well as people living in towns,” she said.

The STF is also working out on the payment and incentives for the services in the anti-drug campaign. Asha workers are involved under the NRHM for assisting the government in various initiatives like promotion of institutional delivery, immunisation, antenatal care, home-based post natal care, and family planning. In the past, ASHA workers had been demanding that they should be paid salary as per the minimum wages Act.