Over 500 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers from Karnataka held a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Wednesday demanding a fixed monthly honorarium of Rs 12000 and to release pending wages of workers. In July, the workers called off their plans of staging a 20-day strike, following assurances from Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu that their demands for a fixed monthly honorarium of Rs 12,000 will be considered. However, as their demands have not been met for the past two months, and their wages have been pending since July, the workers took to the streets to stage protests.
ASHA workers in Karnataka reported that they were restricted by police officials from travelling to Bengaluru from different parts of the state to hold the protest. The ASHA Union in Karnataka shared visuals of police preventing ASHA workers from joining the protest in Bengaluru by stopping buses arranged by the workers.
"The government has remained silent to all the sound and cries of the ASHA workers, and shockingly has resorted to strike their force upon the ASHAs by restricting them from coming here which is utterly condemnable," D Nagalaskhmi, State Secretary of the ASHA Union in Karnataka said.
Nagalakshmi said some ASHA workers were forcefully sent back by the police. Despite this, over 500 ASHA workers gathered at Freedom Park in Bengaluru to register their protest against the state government.
Later in the day, the protesting workers met Health Minister B Sriramulu and were assured that a meeting will be held with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday. Dr Rajkumar, State Deputy Director, Maternal Health, and Dr Omprakash Patil, Director, Health Department, were also present at the site of the protest and ensured that the pending wages, including the incentives for COVID-19 will be deposited within 15 days.
ASHA workers have also asked the state government to provide PPE kits and safety equipment periodically.
ASHA workers have been playing a key role amid the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in India. The workers, who are trained to be the interface between the community and the public, have been going door-to-door spreading awareness and collecting information about the symptoms of people.