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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 22 (IANS) A section of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers in Kerala, who have been protesting for the last 256 days demanding higher honorarium and post-retirement benefits, on Wednesday intensified their agitation by marching to Cliff House, the official residence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
This day was chosen because President Draupadi Murmu was here on a four-day state visit.
Asha workers had recently put forth their problems before President Murmu through a memorandum.
ASHA workers, led by the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA), had been protesting outside the state secretariat since the beginning of this year. But on Wednesday, hundreds of protesters broke several police barricades and faced water cannons while trying to reach the chief minister’s residence.
The protesters raised slogans accusing the Left government of ignoring their long-pending demands. His key demands include increasing his state-paid honorarium from Rs 7,000 to Rs 21,000 per month and providing him a post-retirement benefit of Rs 5 lakh.
“ASHA workers are the backbone of the primary health system, but we are being treated like daily wage workers,” said one of the protesters.
The agitation is taking place despite a state government-appointed committee in August recommending a nominal increase of Rs 3,000 in honorarium and post-retirement benefits of Rs 1 lakh, which is far short of the workers’ demands. This issue is also related to the initiative of the Central Government.
In the evening, protesters who intensified their protest in front of Cliff House claimed that a scuffle broke out when the police tried to snatch the mike they were using.
When angry Asha workers protested, the police forcefully took away many protesters.
An ASHA worker said, “Many of us were forcefully removed and taken away in police jeeps. We are not afraid of the action there. We have decided to observe a complete protest day on Thursday against the way the police targeted us today. I was beaten up by a woman police officer.”
In July, the Center decided to increase the fixed monthly incentive given to Asha workers. During the 9th meeting of the Mission Steering Group (MSG), it approved a hike from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500 and proposed an increase in retirement benefits.
However, the protesting workers argue that these measures are inadequate. They point out that the rising cost of living and the nature of their work, which includes home-based health care, maternal care and disease prevention at the community level, demand fair wages and social security.
As the protests enter their ninth month, pressure is mounting on the state government to find a negotiated solution as local body elections are round the corner and assembly elections are due early next year.
–IANS
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