Bihar CM Nitish Kumar announces hike in incentives for ASHA, Mamta workers

ASHA workers in Bihar have been protesting for a long time for better pay, recognition, and working conditions.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has announced a hike in the incentive amount for Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Mamta workers in the state, a move which many believe is yet another sop in the run up to the assembly elections later this year.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Madhubani on July 26. (HT Photo)

The assembly elections are due in October-November this year though the election commission is yet to make any formal announcement.

“Since the formation of the government in November 2005, we have worked extensively to improve health services. ASHA and Mamta workers have played an important role in improving health services in rural areas. Keeping this in mind and honouring the important contribution of ASHA and Mamta workers in strengthening health services in rural areas, it has been decided to increase their honorarium. ASHA workers will now be given an incentive of Rs. 3,000 instead of Rs. 1,000. Also, Mamta workers will be given an incentive of Rs. 600 instead of Rs. 300 per delivery, this will further boost their morale and health services in rural areas will be strengthened,” CM Kumar posted on social media platform X.

As per the National Health Systems Resource Centre data, in July 2025, there are over 90,000 ASHA workers in Bihar. There are around 7,500 Mamta workers, who are contractual health workers in maternity wards of government hospitals appointed to take care of newborns and their mothers, according to the health department.

ASHA workers in Bihar have been protesting for a long time for better pay, recognition, and working conditions.

Kumar had on Sunday announced that the state government will soon set up a Safai Karmachari Commission to work for the welfare and upliftment of sanitation workers . Earlier, in a major sop to lure voters, Kumar had announced free electricity for all consumers in the state for up to 125 units.

Earlier, the CM disbursed the first installment of the hiked pension amount of ₹1,100 per month to the bank accounts of 11.1 million beneficiaries, including senior citizens, widows and people with disabilities and announced to provide jobs to 10 million youths over the next five years. He had asked the state education department to count the vacant post in the government school to conduct the Teachers Recruitment Test 4 (TRE-4) so that recruitment of teachers could be done as soon as possible. The Bihar cabinet had made domicile mandatory for accessing the 35% reservation for women in State government jobs. Previously, women from outside Bihar could also benefit from the reservation policy, which was introduced by the State government in 2016.

For rural reach, he has launched a series of infrastructure initiatives under the Rural Works Department (RWD), with projects totalling ₹21,406.36 crore aimed at transforming rural connectivity across Bihar. More importantly, honorarium of all employees associated with Jeevika has been doubled; 4 lakh women employees of Bihar government will get housing facility near their office, the government will give ₹2 lakh each to 94 lakh poor families and the monthly allowance of representatives of three-tier Panchayati Raj system has been increased by one and a half times.