ASHA workers protest at Ponnam Prabhakar’s camp office in Husnabad, detained

Hyderabad: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers staged a protest at Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar’s camp office in Husnabad on Friday, March 20, claiming that workers had not received payments for the past 10 months.

They were later taken into custody by the police and shifted to the Akkannapet Police Station. Watch the video here.

Last month, on February 23, ASHA workers had gathered at the Commission of Health and Family Welfare’s office at Koti in Hyderabad, demanding a fixed honorarium of Rs 18,000 per month. However, they were not allowed to submit their representation to the Commissioner and were detained by the police.

The demand for a fixed Rs 18,000 monthly honorarium has been the principle demand of the ASHA workers for several years. The Congress, in its 2023 election manifesto, had also promised to increase their honorarium and provide them with job security. 

Just before last year’s budget, the ASHA workers demanded that the Congress government implement its own election promise. The workers have put forth the same demand, along with 17 other demands, which they said should be passed in the current Budget Session of the Assembly.