In open letter to HM, ASHA workers demand rights

NEW DELHI: The largest trade union representing ASHA workers has urged the Centre to recognise them as formal employees with statutory rights, rather than merely honouring them with symbolic gestures.

In an open letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Thursday, the ASHA Workers’ and Facilitators’ Federation of India acknowledged the government’s decision to invite 250 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers as special guests to the 76th Republic Day celebrations in Delhi.

However, it questioned the selection criteria and criticised the lack of financial and social security for ASHA workers. ASHA workers are the backbone of maternal and child health care and have been instrumental in India’s fight against tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, the federation pointed out in the letter.

Their contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic were internationally recognised when the World Health Organization (WHO) honoured them as “Global Leaders”, it said. Despite these contributions, ASHA workers are still classified as “volunteers” and receive only piece-rate wages, with guaranteed incentives as low as Rs 2,000 per month, the federation highlighted.

It also noted in the letter that these incentives were last revised in 2010.

The ASHA Workers’ Federation urged the government to address ASHA workers’ lack of benefits, delayed wages, and ensure their regularisation as government employees with full benefits in the 2025-26 budget.