ASHA workers’ union protests against govt

Patiala, May 27

On a call given by the ASHA Workers and Facilitators Union, the state committee held a protest at the PUDA ground here today. The union members called off the dharna following an assurance by the district administration that it would get their meeting fixed with the Health Minister.

Union leaders, including Lakhwinder Kaur and Harinder Kaur, said the state government made ASHA workers do a lot of work during the Covid-19 pandemic, but, in return, stopped the allowances of the Central and state workers.

They said ASHA workers were being deputed to carry out surveys to detect drug consumption in the state despite it being the work of the narcotics cell of the Police Department.

“We should be given Rs 500 per tour and our allowance raised to Rs 10,000. The leaders said during the Congress regime, the ASHA workers got a fixed allowance of Rs 2,500. But, the present government is imposing unnecessary conditions on the workers and rather than doubling the allowance as per its election manifesto, it is reducing the existing allowance,” a union leader said.