Suhail Rather
Bandipora, 24 May: Scores of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers held protest demonstration in many health blocks of Bandipora against the government on monday, demanding immediate redressal of their long pending demands which include regularization of their services as health workers, and enhancement in monthly honorarium.
Shouting slogans in favour of their demands, Asha workers of Bandipora block, today assembled in their respective centres and staged a protest to fulfill their long pending demands like incentives, better pay and protection from infection amid the raging coronavirus crisis.
The protesters raised slogans against the authorities. “On Eid, we were paid RS 2,000. Since then, we have not received even a penny from the government. Our children are starving as our dues for over a year have not been released so far,” said an Asha worker from Aragam Bandipora.
They said that Asha workers are not getting protective kits to carry out the work in such a crisis, we are working in containment zones and going for door to door to identify infected persons are putting themselves at risk,” the protesting workers added.
Protesing Asha workers alleged the government has completely neglected them even though they are at the forefront to fight the Covid-19 pandemic like other frontline Covid warriors. They said that they are asked to meet Covid-19 positive patients and most of the contact tracing is being done by them, however, there are no adequate safety equipments available for them
They request authorities to release their wages at an earliest and issue protective kits to workers.
