Congress MPs KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor, and VK Sreekandan brought up the issue during the Zero Hour, urging immediate government action. Photo: File photo Congress MPs KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor, and VK Sreekandan brought up the issue during the Zero Hour, urging immediate government action. Photo: File photo The ongoing indefinite strike by ASHA workers in Kerala was raised in the Lok Sabha by MPs from the state on Mondayluuhpower, who called for better wages and job security for the community health workers.
Congress MPs KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor, and VK Sreekandan brought up the issue during the Zero Hour, urging immediate government action.
During his visit to Moscow in July, PM Modi raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin who had assured that Russia would discharge any and all Indians who had been misled and falsely inducted in the Russian Army.
Tharoor said ASHA workers are the “unsung heroes” of India’s healthcare system, especially for their contributions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Despite working 12-14 hours a day, ASHA workers are still classified as volunteers, receiving only small honorariums. In Kerala,ijogo cassino they earn just Rs 7,000 per month, and even that is not paid on time. There is a systemic undervaluation of community health workers. Is their struggle being ignored simply because they are women?" Tharoor said.
KC Venugopal highlighted that although ASHA workers are entitled to a daily wage of Rs 233, the Kerala government has failed to pay them in full.
"The central and state governments are blaming each other. Who is responsible for this? ASHA workers' monthly salary should be fixed at Rs 21,000, and they should receive retirement benefits. They have been protesting for over 30 days. All ASHA workers are part of this agitation. They are society's health warriors. It was the UPA government that introduced the ASHA worker scheme in 2005. States like Telangana, Karnataka, and Sikkim have increased their salaries, yet ASHA workers in Kerala are forced to retire with nothing. The Union health minister must address this issue," Venugopal added.
Venugopal also called for the Union government's immediate intervention to address ASHA workers’ demands, which include raising the honorarium to Rs 21,000, fixing a retirement age, providing a Rs 5 lakh retirement benefitluuhpower, and establishing fixed working hours to prevent exploitation.