Kerala govt forms panel amid ASHA protest
Thiruvananthapuram: The state govt has appointed a five-member committee, headed by women and child development department director Haritha V Kumar, to examine the issues raised by protesting
ASHA workers
and study their demands.
The committee, announced nearly a month after the govt first proposed the idea during discussions with the workers, has been given three months to submit its report.
ASHA workers, who operate under the Union govt's
National Health Mission
, have been protesting in front of the state secretariat for over 100 days. They are demanding an increase in their monthly honorarium, along with a fixed service term and pension benefits.
During talks held on April 3, the state govt informed
protest
leaders that a committee would be set up to study their demands and urged them to call off the strike.
However, the workers rejected the offer and continued the protest. They viewed the committee proposal as a delay tactic and were frustrated by the lack of clarity on critical issues.
Initially, the state govt claimed it lacked the financial resources to meet the workers' demands to increase the honorarium from Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 and suggested that the Centre should increase its share of the honorarium. As the strike continued past 50 days, the govt held another round of talks in April, involving trade union leaders.
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These efforts failed, and workers accused union representatives of trying to pressure them into accepting the committee.
Mini S, a leader of the ASHA workers, said, "We will give our opinion to the committee if approached, but we maintain that a committee is not required to accept our demands." She added that the govt has not paid them for the past three months and only formed the committee as it had informed the high court that it will set up one. The next court hearing is scheduled for June.
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