STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam State ASHA Union is not fully satisfied with the cabinet’s decision to give a one-time retirement benefit to its workers. The union’s president, Mamata Talukdar, said, “We welcome the cabinet’s decision, but we have other long-term demands that need to be fulfilled. We demanded that our minimum pay be Rs 21000. And until the minimum wage is paid to us, we should be given a respectable pay according to market value. Apart from that, we demanded that Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers be given a position as regular employees of the health department with social security, health safety, provident funds, gratuities, and pension benefits. We have been agitating regarding our demands for longer periods of time.”
Further, she said, “Our demands were not given attention and we were given a small amount in the name of the retire benefit, and we 31000 ASHA workers are being betrayed by the government. With our demands, we will continue our agitation until they are fulfilled.”
A list of decisions for the ASHA workers was taken in the Cabinet in New Delhi on Wednesday, which states that the termination age and one-time gratitude benefit for ASHA and ASHA supervisors are fixed.
The age of relinquishment of services for ASHA and ASHA supervisors is 60 years. ASHA members who have rendered continuous voluntary service for a minimum of 10 years will be entitled to a one-time gratitude benefit of Rs 2 lakh on relinquishment of their services upon attaining 60 years.
Similarly, ASHA supervisors will be able to avail a one-time gratitude benefit of Rs 3 lakh on relinquishment of their services on attaining 60 years.
ASHA and ASHA Supervisors will be eligible for a one-time gratitude benefit of Rs 1 lakh in case of resignation or relinquishment of voluntary service before attaining 60 years but after rendering continuous voluntary service for a minimum of 10 years. The next-of-kin of ASHA and ASHA Supervisors who die in harness will get the benefits as per their eligibility.
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