BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 28th February 2024 : A group of ASHA workers and facilitators in Tripura staged a protest on Wednesday at the office of the West District Chief Medical Officer, demanding higher salaries, pensions, and other benefits. They submitted a memorandum with eight demands to the officer, hoping to get a positive response from the government.
The protesters, who belong to the Tripura ASHA Facilitator & Workers Association and the Labor Monitoring Cell of Tripura ASHA Workers Association, said that they work with very low pay and face various difficulties in performing their duties. They urged the government to treat them as regular employees of the National Health Mission (NHM) and pay them accordingly.
According to the leader of the organization, Biplab Kar, the ASHA workers and facilitators want a monthly salary of at least Rs 15,000 and Rs 12,000 respectively, along with a pension of Rs 6,000 and Rs 4,500 after retirement. They also want the age limit of service to be raised to 65 years and computer training to be provided to them.
Asha workers and facilitators are community health workers who play a vital role in delivering primary health care services, especially to rural and remote areas. They are involved in various activities such as immunization, maternal and child health, disease prevention, and health education. However, they are often underpaid, overworked, and lack proper recognition and support from the authorities.
