Kerala asks Centre to revise incentives of ASHAs

Revision of the incentives given to ASHAs for various projects carried out by them for the Health department in the field has been a long-standing demand of the State. While the Centre has assured that this would be considered favourably, the Centre is yet to give even a single dime towards the incentives to be paid to ASHAs in 2023-24, Ms. George said.

The Centre owes the State ₹80 crore as its share of the total of ₹120 crore which was to have been paid as incentives to ASHAs. Even amidst its financial difficulties, the State had scraped together the amount and was now waiting for the Centre to give its share.

‘Overworked, underpaid’

She was replying to a calling attention motion moved by Congress legislator Eldhose Kunnappally that the government should increase the incentive and honorarium paid to ASHAs, who he said were overworked and underpaid. He said the government should set up a pension scheme for them.

Ms. George said 26,125 women were employed as ASHAs in the State and that apart from the incentives paid for carrying out various activities in the field, they were also paid an honorarium by the State government, which has gone up from ₹1,000 to ₹7,000 in the last decade. Honorarium dues till November 2024 and incentive dues till October 2024 have been paid to ASHAs.

Payment every month

Ms. George said the Health department was in talks with the Finance department to work out an arrangement so that the ASHAs are given their incentives and honorarium every month rather than every three months.

The Health department was trying to see that the work handed down to the ASHAs were devoid of complexities and that they were not overworked. They were not expected to carry out all field-level activities because the Health department has clear-cut guidelines on the demarcation of duties of various categories of field workers like JPHNs, JHIs and supervisors.

ASHAs were included in the various social security schemes that the State has drawn up for the public, Ms. George added.