Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) staged a protest in Kalaburagi on Friday demanding settlement of payments due from the Union and State governments.
ASHAs affiliated to the Karnataka Rajya Samyukta Asha Karyakartiyara Sangha and All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) took out a protest march from Indira Smarak Bhavan to the District Health and Family Welfare Office with a charter of demands, including regular payment of honorarium and monthly incentives.
District convenor of AIUTUC V.G. Desai said that the government failed to release incentives under various national programmes during 2018-19. He demanded that the government immediately release ₹12 lakh to pay incentives that are due to the 121 ASHAs across the district.
ASHAs also urged the government to clear honorarium for March and April to 32 ASHAs at Jewargi taluk in the district. The government has to pay honorarium regularly on the fifth of every month, ASHAs added.
To reduce the burden of additional work, the government should immediately fill vacant posts of ASHAs, they said and urged the District Health Officer to conduct grievance programme once in three months to address their issues.
The workers urged the government create a corpus fund of ₹5 crore for taking up welfare programmes.
