STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam's ASHA union held a press conference at the Guwahati Press Club (GPC) on Thursday, where President of Citu-affiliated Assam State ASHA Union Mamata Rabha and general secretary Nani Likson Phukan voiced strong discontent over the government's failure to implement the promised wage hike for ASHA workers.
Addressing the media, the union leaders stated that ASHA workers in Assam had long been fighting for the implementation of a minimum wage. In the state budget session held in March this year, the government had announced an increase of Rs 1,000 in their monthly honorarium - Rs 500 each from the state and central governments - to take effect from October 2025. However, despite public announcements and media reports, no official steps had been taken to implement the revision, the union said.
The leaders criticized both the state and central governments for what they described as a systematic neglect of ASHA workers, who continue to serve as the backbone of rural healthcare delivery. Although ASHA workers perform critical public health duties, they are still treated as informal workers within the government's administrative framework. The union alleged that they neither receive minimum wages nor are their existing honorariums paid on time, which has left thousands struggling amid rising costs of living.
"We demand that until the government fixes a formal pay structure, ASHA workers must be paid wages in line with current market rates," the leaders asserted. They also pointed out that despite numerous memorandums and protest movements at various administrative levels, their demands had not yet been addressed.
Referring to recent parliamentary discussions, the union cited the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister's statement in the Lok Sabha, which confirmed an increase in the central government's contribution to ASHA workers' wages from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500 per month, effective from March 2025. However, they expressed concern that this enhancement too had not been implemented in Assam.
In conclusion, the union warned that if the state government fails to release the revised honorarium by December, ASHA workers across Assam will launch a statewide agitation to press for their long-pending demands.
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