MP's assurance to ASHA workers

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Sept 15: BJP’s Tezpur MP RP Sarmah has assured the State ASHA workers of raising the issue of hike in their remuneration at the forthcoming Lok Sabha session and taking up the issue with State Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal as well.

The State Mazdoor Morcha of the BJP had a meeting with leaders of the ASHA on the latter’s demands for hike in their remuneration.  The MP let the ASHA workers know that the remuneration of ASHA workers is Rs 6,000 per month in Harya where the BJP is in power. “The remuneration for ASHA workers should be equal in all States in the country. The demand of the State ASHA workers is a genuine one. Their duty is something like that of the police. They’ve to remain alert round the clock as they never know when they’ll have to go for attending delivery cases. This is not all. They’ve to go to even far-flung rural areas risking their security. They’ve to remain present at hospitals as well,” Sarmah told this reporter, and added: “I’ll raise the issue at the forthcoming Lok Sabha session for a hike in the Rs 1,000 remuneration per month set by the Centre for each ASHA Karmi. I’ve already taken up the issue with State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He told me that he would write to the Centre on the issue. I’m leaving today for New Delhi where I’ll take it up with Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal.”

At present each of the ASHA workers gets Rs 1,000 from the Central Government and they are demanding an additiol Rs 1,000 from the State Government. To get their demand met, they have been agitating frequently, but to no avail.

The meeting of the Sadou Asom ASHA Karmi Santha (SAAKS) held at Atal Behari Vajpayee Bhawan in the city on Friday with the BJP’s Mazdoor Morcha was attended by 40 representatives from 19 district committees of the Santha. SAAKS president Dipti Devi and general secretary Anupama Rai handed over a seven-point charter of demands to Morcha president Pran Kumar Das and requested him for arranging their meeting with State Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. State BJP Mazdoor Morcha and BJP leaders were also present at the meeting, said Morcha secretary Bhaswati Sarma.