ASHA workers in Delhi press demand for fixed remuneration

The Delhi ASHA Workers Association (DAWA) earlier this month wrote to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal demanding fixed incentive of ₹15,000 a month or to pay minimum wage.

Screening residents across the city for Covid-19, monitoring patients in home isolation, encouraging people to get vaccinated and carrying out government-ordered surveys, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) have been at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic for a year-and-a-half now. But in that time, ASHA workers in the Capital have been fighting a lonely battle for better remuneration or a fixed salary, a demand that has had little yields so far.

Following the Covid-19 outbreak, Asha workers were deployed across the city to screen residents for Covid-19, monitor patients in home isolation and encourage people to get vaccinated (Mohd Zakir/Hindustan Times)

The Delhi ASHA Workers Association (DAWA) earlier this month wrote to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal demanding fixed incentive of ₹15,000 a month or to pay minimum wage. They also want the Delhi government to do-away with the point system to their core incentive. The minimum wage in Delhi currently varies between ₹15,000 and ₹20,976, depending on skill and educational qualification. Skilled labourers are paid around ₹19,000 a month.

Currently, ASHA workers in Delhi get a core, guaranteed incentive of ₹3,000 per month if they are able to get six or more points, based on the number of institutional deliveries, children’s immunisations assisted by them or surveys carried out in their respective areas. The central government in April last year — days after the nationwide lockdown was put in place — announced an additional ₹1,000 to be given to ASHA workers for Covid-related work.

These payments were stopped in April this year.

Soni (32), An ASHA worker in west Delhi’s Nangli Vihar and the only earning member of her family, said that while HER workload has increased multi-fold since last year, her income has dropped considerably.

“There is so much work load. In the past few months, we were asked to distribute iron supplements and then deworming medicines to children. We have been doing surveys for Covid-19 management. Sometimes, we are not able to meet our targets for incentives, because of which we don’t get paid much. It has become difficult to make ends meet,” she said.

Shiksha Rana (46) has been an ASHA worker in east Delhi for the past 10 years. Her husband tested positive for Covid-19 in April this year, she said, for which he was in hospital for nearly a month. This has now left her in debt, and she said she blames herself.

“I had to take a loan from relatives to pay the hospital bills. My entire family suffered because of me, because I was on Covid-19 duty,” said Rana.

She added, “We all have been working so hard since last year. There is no medical benefit for us despite the fact that we have risked our lives. We should get a fixed salary, like all other government employees,” said Rana.

DAWA has laid this demand before the Delhi government for over a year now.

Usha Thakur, general secretary, DAWA said, “Our demand is that the Delhi government should give us at least ₹15,000 a month as salary or that we be paid the minimum wage given to skilled workers.”

She also said the allotment of localities ensures an unequal payment system for workers.

“Localities have not been distributed properly, due to which some ASHAs have areas where there are big low-income residential clusters while others don’t. As a result, some workers are able to get more incentives.”

Kavita Yadav, the state coordinator for ASHA workers, All India United Traders Union Centre, said, “We have sought time from Delhi chief minister to discuss our concerns. These women have risked their lives while working during Covid. They should be given the status of government employees and paid accordingly.”

The Delhi government declined to comment on the matter.