Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 9: A delegation of ASHA workers today presented a memorandum of their grievances and demands to the National Conference (NC) president and Member of Parliament from Srinagar, Dr Farooq Abdullah at his Gupkar residence.
A spokesperson of the party said that a delegation of ASHA workers led by president and general secretary of ASHA Workers Union called on party president at his Gupkar residence and acquainted him about the assortment of problems faced by the workers and presented him a detailed memorandum of their grievances and demands, requesting him to take up the issues faced by ASHA workers.
The visiting delegation beseeched the party president to take up their issues with the Government of India to help them achieve their long pending demands. The party president gave a patient hearing to the visiting delegation and assured them to raise their concerns at appropriate forums.
The delegation, the spokesperson said, consisted of ASHA workers and facilitators. “In spite of our selfless, dedicated service in particular over the past six months, the Government is heading towards privatizing the public health system through measures like digital health mission. Instead of recognizing our work and regularizing us, the Government forced us to work in quarantine centers without required safety gears and that many ASHA workers have also lost their lives in the line of duty. The announced insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh didn’t reach the aggrieved workers,” reads the memorandum.
The visiting delegation said that the number of ASHA workers and facilitators in Kashmir is in lakhs, and the failure of the Government in addressing their long pending demands was pushing them to undue tribulations and suffering on one account or another.
The demands of the visiting delegations included increased remuneration, doling out of pending wages, implementation of 45th and 46th ILC for regularization of ASHA workers, payment of minimum wages of Rs 21000 per month and pension of Rs 10,000 per month, benefits of insurance cover to all frontline workers covering all deaths on duty and pension/jobs for the dependents of the workers.
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