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The indefinite strike by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) volunteers in Kerala reached its 100th day on Tuesday, May 20. The protest, which began on February 10, continues as workers demand better wages, timely payment of salaries, and retirement benefits.
Extending their support to the volunteers, prominent Congress leaders including Shafi Parambil, TN Prathapan and writer Rosemary met the agitating ASHA volunteers in Thiruvananthapuram.
On the 100th day, the volunteers reiterated their decision to continue the protest.
Speaking to the media, ASHA volunteers criticised the government for celebrating its anniversary while allegedly neglecting frontline health workers.
“We plan on continuing our protest. The government has not paid us our salaries for the past two months. They are not providing us incentives. If the government has money to celebrate their anniversary, why don’t they have the money to pay us?” said one of the protesters.
State general secretary of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers’ Association, MA Bindu, has been on a protest march from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram since May 5. On Tuesday, she reached Palakkad, having covered Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts.
Despite three rounds of discussions between ASHA volunteers and officials from the state government and the National Health Mission (NHM), talks have failed to produce a resolution. Both sides have remained firm on their demands, resulting in a continued deadlock.
Over the course of the strike, ASHA volunteers have held a variety of protests, including a hunger strike starting on March 20 and shaving or cutting their hair on March 30, as symbolic acts of dissent.
ASHA volunteers are demanding that their daily incentive be increased from Rs 232 to Rs 700 — a move that would raise their monthly income from Rs 7,000 to Rs 21,000. They are also seeking retirement benefits amounting to Rs 5 lakh upon reaching the retirement age of 62.