Anganwadi, ASHA and Akshara Dasoha workers Friday staged a demonstration here seeking regularisation of their services. They demanded that they too be considered as the employees of the State government as they were discharging their duties equal to others carrying out full-time duties.
Under the banner of Scheme Workers’ Federation of India besides their own associations, the workers said their services were not being regularised giving them minimum wages since they were taken into the services under schemes. This has posed hurdles to their regularisation and therefore urged the government to consider them as the staff in the departments they are working currently.
A senior office-bearer of the associations said these workers are working for an honorarium which is meagre and therefore sought a minimum wage of ₹21,000 a month as recommended by the ILO.
Karnataka has 42,000 ASHA workers, 65,000 anganwadi workers and 1.25 lakh Askshara Dasoha workers, she said.
“When those engaged in the preparation of food in government-run hostels get good pay, why cannot those in Askshara Dasoha scheme,” the workers asked.
The protestors said the ASHA workers worked tirelessly during COVID-19 without even caring about risks involved in their work for a meagre risk allowance of ₹1,000.