[Kashmir] ASHA workers protest for better salaries

In the Sumbal area of north Kashmir's Bandipora district on August 7, dozens of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers staged a protest to demand regular and increased salaries for their work, Greater Kashmir reports.

Shazia Begum - president of the Sumbal Sonawari ASHA Workers Association - said, "We have been working for sixteen years. For the first eight years, we were not paid at all. Later, the government gave us a thousand rupees and then raised it to two thousand." 

Ms Begum said that ASHA workers are the frontline workers for the majority of government schemes and they are required to carry out regular house surveys. However, the salary they receive is reportedly insufficient to meet their basic needs.

"We work hard to earn a living, but the amount we get is very low," Ms Bano - another ASHA worker - told Greater Kashmir.

She said that she and her colleagues face public resentment for their frequent visits. "The government does not care about us," Ms Bano said, as she led a group of protesting workers.

She added that the department has asked the workers to verify golden cards by going door to door, for which they will be paid two to three rupees. "Is this a joke? Are we children? This is injustice," she said.

Ms Bano added that ASHA workers have not received their incentives since Eid. She said that the incentives are irregular and in 2022 they had been paid nothing at all. The protesters reportedly urged higher authorities to intervene and resolve their issues.

Source: Greater Kashmir

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

In the Sumbal area of north Kashmir's Bandipora district on August 7, dozens of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers staged a protest to demand regular and increased salaries for their work, Greater Kashmir reports.

Shazia Begum - president of the Sumbal Sonawari ASHA Workers Association - said, "We have been working for sixteen years. For the first eight years, we were not paid at all. Later, the government gave us a thousand rupees and then raised it to two thousand." 

Ms Begum said that ASHA workers are the frontline workers for the majority of government schemes and they are required to carry out regular house surveys. However, the salary they receive is reportedly insufficient to meet their basic needs.

"We work hard to earn a living, but the amount we get is very low," Ms Bano - another ASHA worker - told Greater Kashmir.

She said that she and her colleagues face public resentment for their frequent visits. "The government does not care about us," Ms Bano said, as she led a group of protesting workers.

She added that the department has asked the workers to verify golden cards by going door to door, for which they will be paid two to three rupees. "Is this a joke? Are we children? This is injustice," she said.

Ms Bano added that ASHA workers have not received their incentives since Eid. She said that the incentives are irregular and in 2022 they had been paid nothing at all. The protesters reportedly urged higher authorities to intervene and resolve their issues.

Source: Greater Kashmir

(Link and quotes via original reporting)