Panneerselvam urges T.N. government to invite ASHAs for talks on pay hike

Expelled AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam on Sunday, June 25, 2023 urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to invite the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), who staged a protest on Friday, June 23, for talks and provide them a consolidated pay of ₹15,000 a month.

Expelled AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam on Sunday, June 25, 2023 urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to invite the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), who staged a protest on Friday, June 23, for talks and provide them a consolidated pay of ₹15,000 a month.

In a statement, he also urged the Central government to increase the honorarium and the activity-based incentives paid to them. ASHAs, who work round-the-clock in the hill villages but without the status of workers but as ‘activists’, staged a demonstration in Chennai on Friday over their long-pending demands.

While the Centre pays a fixed honorarium of ₹2,000 and incentives of around ₹1,500 a month to them, Mr. Panneerselvam quoted ASHAs to say the Tamil Nadu government has not been paying them.

“When ‘health’ is in the State List in the Constitution, it is not acceptable to not pay ASHAs, who are involved in health-related work,” he contended. As per the the minimum wages fixed by the Seventh Pay Commission, ASHAs contend they are to be paid consolidated wages of ₹24,000 a month.

Some of the neighbouring States had been paying ₹10,000 a month consolidated wages for ASHA workers, Tamil Nadu has only 2,650 of them, say ASHA workers, who further urged for consolidated wages to uphold social justice.

“I think their demand is justified. A sum of ₹3,500 would not be sufficient to even cover their travel expenses. It is not acceptable that the State government is not paying them anything, especially when they are involved in the health-related works,” Mr. Panneerselvam said.