Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi expressed solidarity with Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and anganwadi workers and announced that they will be provided with an honorarium of ₹10,000 per month if the party comes to power in Uttar Pradesh.
“The Congress party is committed to the rights of honorarium of ASHA sisters and their respect and if the government is formed, ASHA sisters and Anganwadi workers will be given an honorarium of ₹10,000 per month,” Gandhi tweeted on Wednesday.
Gandhi, the Congress general secretary, shared a video of ASHA workers being allegedly “assaulted” by police at Shahjahanpur, where they had gone to meet with chief minister Yogi Adityanath and present a list of demands. Hindustan Times could not independently verify the contents of the video.
"Every assault on the ASHA sisters by the UP government is an insult to the work done by them. My ASHA sisters have given their services diligently in coronavirus times and on other occasions. Honorarium is their right. It is the duty of the government to listen to them," she tweeted in support.
All over the country ASHA and anganwadi workers have been protesting since September demanding risk allowance and insurance cover while on Covid duty, regularisation of appointments, and low wages. This all-female army of grassroot workers who have been at the forefront of rural India’s fight against coronavirus and are now shouldering the responsibility of immunisation.
{{/usCountry}}All over the country ASHA and anganwadi workers have been protesting since September demanding risk allowance and insurance cover while on Covid duty, regularisation of appointments, and low wages. This all-female army of grassroot workers who have been at the forefront of rural India’s fight against coronavirus and are now shouldering the responsibility of immunisation.
{{/usCountry}}Centre contributes ₹4,500 per month towards their remuneration and many state governments contribute an additional amount. They were promised an extra honorarium of ₹1,000 but many states are yet to follow up on that promise.
ASHA workers in Maharashtra had organised a similar strike in June of this year which was called off after the state government agreed to increase their honorarium by ₹1,500 a month. Even during the pandemic they have been assailed by various issues like unavailability of proper protective gears and PPE kits.
Gandhi, whose party is fighting the upcoming assembly polls in UP, pledged her support to ASHA and anganwadi workers. "ASHA sisters deserve respect and I am with them in this fight," she said.