Protesting Asha workers marching towards the Haryana Vidhan Sabha were stopped at the Chandigarh border on Tuesday.
The Accredited Social Health Activists (Asha workers) are seeking payment commensurate with their work load. In the wake of the protest, the Chandigarh traffic police halted all vehicular movement between the Housing Board light point in Manimajra (Madhya Marg) to the Sector 7/8/17/18 roundabout in Panchkula. Traffic was diverted from Housing Board light point.
Asha workers from all over the state had converged at Panchkula for the protest march. The protesting workers said that they were being pressured to work online, conduct door-to-door visits to make Ayushman Cards and complete KYC (know your customer) formalities. “We have been making Ayushman Bharat Cards for three years, but we have not been paid for the same. The government is adding to our workload without giving us a raise,” they said.