Accredited social health activists (ASHAs) staged a protest in Patiala on Saturday to demand a hike in their wages.
The protesters alleged that the state government had previously promised to fix their salaries but they were still being paid Rs 2,500 per month as honorarium.
“We are underpaid and the government has failed to meet our basic needs,” said Kamaljit Kaur, the district president of the ASHA workers’ union. “We have been doing a full-time job for the past 25 years but are still deprived of basic wages,” she alleged. They raised slogans against Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, and questioned, “We have families and children to support. How can one feed a family with Rs 2500 per month?”
The protesters demanded a guaranteed minimum monthly salary at DC rates, implementation of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and proper retirement and pension benefits for ASHA workers. Some protesters raised demands for a minimum salary of Rs 25,000 per month, stating that their services must be regularised by the government and they should not be classified solely as honorary workers. Slogans against Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh were also raised.
