ASHA Union Demands Hike in NHM Funds in Union Budget 2025, Social Security Benefits

New Delhi: Ahead of the Union Budget presentation on February 1, 2025, the ASHA Workers and Facilitators Federation of India (AWFFI), “the largest trade union federation of the ASHA workers” has urged the Union government to increase financial allocation for the National Health Mission (NHM) and to take immediate measurers to regularise thousands of ASHA workers and facilitators as government employees with all statutory benefits.

ASHA workers and facilitators, considered the backbone of the country’s grassroots healthcare system, in an open letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, while thanking the government for inviting 250 of them for the Republic Day function, expressed anguish that they were still not recognised as “workers” and were deprived of social security and other benefits.

The AWFFI open letter urged the government to provide a “dignified life and statutory rights”, not just “honour” and reminded the Health Minister that their piece-rated incentives, at around Rs 2,000/month, were last revised 10 years ago, in 2010.

“Isn’t it shameful for our republic which completed 75 years, that the ASHA workers who are working among the people even at the outbreak of pandemics and communicable diseases even without adequate safety gear, are not recognised as employees or workers but are considered ‘volunteers’ and get only piece rate wages called incentives and the assured incentives are only Rs.2000 a month. There is no social security for them, no health insurance and not even maternity leave! We would like to remind you as the minister and the health secretary that the piece rated incentives were last revised in 2010!”

Read the full letter below:

Open Letter to the Health Minister of India

To

Shri J P Nadda

Honorable Minister of Health and Family Welfare

Government of India

Sub:- ASHA Workers deserves a dignified Life with statutory Rights not only ‘Honour’

Dear Sir,

 We, the ASHA Workers’ and Facilitators’ Federation of India (AWFFI), the largest trade union federation of the ASHA workers, as the representatives of them would like to thank you, the Health Secretary and the Government of India for inviting ASHA workers as special guests in the 76th Republic Day celebrations in Delhi to ‘honour’ our contribution. We also recall that around 300 anganwadi workers were similarly ‘honoured’ last year on Republic Day.

 As per the statement by the Health Secretary, the Health Ministry of Government of India had invited 250 ASHA workers with their spouses from various States as special guests to join the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi, although the criteria for selection is unknown to us.

It is heartening that the Health Secretary acknowledged in the press briefing that the ASHA workers are the backbone of the health sector across the country and display the Nari Shakti (women empowerment). She also mentioned that the ASHA workers are doing incredible job for eradication of Tuberculosis (Tuberculosis Elimination Mission), not only that, the health system of the entire country is now mostly dependent on their efforts, especially in maternal and child care and combating infectious diseases. The selfless dedicated work of ASHA workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, received international recognition by WHO which honored ASHA workers of our country as ‘Global Leaders’.

You may also agree that the around ten lakh twenty nine thousand ASHA workers and facilitators working sincerely across the country deserves a dignified life with statutory rights not only ‘honour’. Isn’t it shameful for our republic which completed 75 years, that the ASHA workers who are working among the people even at the outbreak of pandemics and communicable diseases even without adequate safety gear, are not recognised as employees or workers but are considered ‘volunteers’ and get only piece rate wages called incentives and the assured incentives are only Rs.2000 a month. There is no social security for them, no health insurance and not even maternity leave! We would like to remind you as the minister and the health secretary that the piece rated incentives were last revised in 2010!

Don’t you think it is high time they must be recognised as workers, pay minimum wages and social security and pension as per the recommendation of the 45th Indian Labour Conference (ILC) back in 2013.  

We would like to bring to your notice that even the meagre remuneration for the ASHA workers and facilitators are pending for months in most of the states as the Union Government do not release the funds on time. Scores of ASHA workers sacrificed their lives and the lives of their dear ones during the Covid pandemic, most of their heirs are yet to get the death compensation; the ministry do not have even the record of the number of casualties.

Such ‘honouring’ programmes organized by the Government without addressing the fact that ASHA workers and facilitators are being deprived of their rightful dignity and entitlements will be ridiculed by the ASHA workers and the public.

We hope that your government will really honour the dedicated work of the ASHA workers and Facilitators and take measures to ensure a dignified life with statutory rights at work in the Union Budget 2025-26 which will be placed in a couple of days. ASHA Workers and Facilitators Federation of India is urging the Union Government to increase the financial allocation for the National Health Mission in the ensuing Union Budget 2025 and to take immediate measurers to regularise the ASHA workers and facilitators as government employees with all statutory benefits.

Madhumita Bandyopadhyay

General Secretary, AWFFI