Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), who play a vital role in various State programmes, including healthcare and elections, are demanding better pay and increased safety measures.
The workers insist that their various safety and security concerns be addressed by different parties in their manifesto, in addition to a salary hike.
In Karnataka, there are approximately 42,000 ASHAs and currently receive a salary of ₹6,000, with additional incentives based on their monthly performance.
C.P. Veena, who has been working as an ASHA from Nelamangala for the last 13 years, expressed disappointment with previous governments, stating that despite many attempts, they had turned a blind eye to their needs and demands.
“We have been protesting ever so often for the government to increase our salary, but they never seem to listen,” she said.
Ms. Veena also said that there is an urgent need for the government to provide ASHAs with insurance, stating that although they work primarily in healthcare programmes, they do not have health insurance themselves.
ASHAs are paid incentives of ₹150-200 for each activity they perform. Farheena, an ASHA from Kamalanagar, said that they have been asking the government to increase their salary to ₹21,000 per month.
“Even with the incentives, we get paid only around ₹7,000, which is not sufficient to run a household,” she said.
She further said that she wants the government to identify ASHAs as government employees and provide them with pension. “If we have to leave the job under any circumstances at old age, we want the government to provide us with PF,” she said.
Farheena, a single parent, said it gets very difficult when they are not paid on time. “They hadn’t paid us since November last year, so we decided not to go to work as a sign of protest in March. That is when they paid us our salary for two months. The remaining still hasn’t been paid,” she alleged.
ASHAs have yet another demand from the government, and that is for fewer working hours. “We can be called into work at any time. We need to be mentally prepared 24/7; we never know when an emergency might come. It becomes very inconvenient for us,” said Chaitra, an ASHA from Rajajinagar.
D. Nagalakshmi, State general secretary of Karnataka Rajya Samyuktha Asha Karyakarthara Sangha, stated that appreciation alone is not enough. “What is the point of all these awards and appreciation when our basic needs are not met?” she asked.
Ms. Nagalakshmi said that ASHAs have fearlessly served not just during the pandemic, but also during other times. “We are the connection between the government and the grassroots levels of society,” she said.
