In response to a call for a State-wide agitation to press for their various demands, scores of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) staged protests in Hubballi, Dharwad and in the headquarters of the various districts in North Karnataka on Tuesday.
Staging demonstrations in front of government offices across the districts, ASHAs said that the State government had failed to fulfil the promise it had made to them after their previous mega protest.
Addressing the protesting social health activists in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad on Monday, district unit president of the Karnataka Rajya Samyukta ASHA Karyakarteyara Sangha Gangadhar Badiger said that two months ago when the health activists from across the State staged a protest that went on for 20 days, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had promised to increase their honorarium.
“However, although ASHAs have patiently waited for over two months now, their demands have not been met. They have not been paid even for their selfless service during the COVID-19 situation,” he said.
Mr. Badiger said that ASHAs were doing additional work during the pandemic and yet the government had not been considerate towards them. The State government should keep its promise by enhancing their honorarium to ₹ 12,000 a month, he said.
District unit vice-president of the sangha Bhuvana Ballari said that activists and people from all walks of life had expressed solidarity with them during the previous protest, following which the government promised to enhance their honorarium. However, nothing had been done to meet their demands yet. And, if the government failed to keep its promise now, they would be forced to intensify their agitation, she said.
Their other demands include regular health check-up for ASHAs on COVID-19 duty, payment of pending incentives and the immediate payment of ₹ 3,000 incentive announced for them.
In Hubballi, leading the protest, AIUTUC district secretary Ramesh Hosamani said that while the government praised ASHAs as corona warriors on the one hand, it was denying even their rightful wages for the work they were doing on the other. AIUTUC city unit president Bharati Shettar urged the State government to immediately take steps to fulfil the promise it had made to ASHAs.