No allowance to Ashas despite Central order

Harsh Yadav (Lokmat News Network Nagpur)

Even though the Central government had issued guidelines under its National Rural Health Mission to provide Rs 1,000 as an encouragement allowance to Asha workers, who are working in the Arogya Vardhini centres, the officials of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) have failed to provide it.

The Asha workers of the Binaki Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) have not received a single penny of this allowance. As per a letter from NMC health officer Narendra Bahirwar dated August 22, the Central government had issued guidelines under the National Rural Health Mission 2023-24 that in the states of Maharashtra, all the UPHCS should be turned into Arogya Vardhini Centres and the Asha workers, who are the frontline soldiers, should be given an encouragement allowance of Rs 1000, based on their performance in 17 streams. The allowance will follow the pattern as per work. The Asha worker will receive Rs 100 per work. The upper slab of allowance is set at Rs 1,000.

For example, if an Asha worker completes 9 jobs, she is eligible for Rs 900, if she completes 10, she is eligible for Rs 1,000, more than 10 tasks, will only beget the upper slab amount. The letter also noted that, from August, all Asha workers working in the region should get this allowance.

The documents in possession of Lokmat Times showed that in the month of August, most of the Asha workers in Binaki had completed the set number of tasks but shockingly no one received a single penny. The highest governing body of the Asha programme, the NRHM Directorate, in its letter dated July 14 had said that encouragement allowance should be provided to Asha workers. Ravindra Sathe, leader of the ‘Asha workers' union, said that it was shameful that NMC was not paying the al allowance despite directives of the Central government. "Majority of Asha workers are from poor families and Rs 1,000 means a lot to them," he added.