Bengaluru: Seeking fulfillment of long-pending promises, ASHA workers across Karnataka have announced a massive ‘Brihat Belgaum Chalo’ protest on December 10 near the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi. Thousands of ASHA workers from across the state are expected to participate, Karnataka State United ASHA Workers Association president K. Somashekar Yadagiri and secretary D. Nagalakshmi said.
ASHA workers, who have been integral to the state’s public health system since 2008-09, now number over 42,000. For nearly 18 years, they have played a crucial role in delivering government health schemes to rural and urban families, especially mothers and children. Their contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic, the association said, remains unforgettable.
However, despite assurances from both the Centre and the state, the workers allege that incentives have not kept pace with their workload. Many activities uploaded to the online portal, they say, fetched payments far lower than what they actually performed. Repeated complaints over several years, they claim, have gone unresolved.
The association pointed out that when the Centre’s activity-based incentives and the state’s monthly honorarium of ₹5,000 are combined, the earnings should amount to nearly ₹15,000 per month. They are demanding that this be paid as a fixed monthly amount.
Earlier this year, on January 7, 2025, nearly 40,000 ASHA workers staged a day–night protest at Freedom Park, Bengaluru. At the time, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah promised that each ASHA worker would receive a minimum of ₹10,000 per month, combining state honorarium, central incentives, and additional support from the state if required. He also assured a meeting to address other demands. Following this assurance, the protest was withdrawn — but the government has yet to issue an official order, the association leaders said.
The central government revised and increased several incentive components in June–July 2025. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao stated in the last assembly session that the state would release the increased incentives even though funds had not yet arrived from the Centre. This money, the association said, is still pending and must be released immediately, including the newly increased ₹1,500 incentive.
With the winter session in Belagavi approaching, the association has decided to intensify its agitation on December 10, demanding immediate action on the pending issues — including concerns over the discontinuation of ASHA facilitators and delays in their revised honorarium.
Somashekar Yadagiri and Nagalakshmi have urged ASHA workers across Karnataka to join the upcoming protest in large numbers.
Key Demands of ASHA Workers
- ₹15,000 monthly honorarium, combining the Centre’s incentives and the state’s fixed honorarium.
- Implementation of the state’s promise of ₹10,000 monthly guaranteed payment from April, along with an additional ₹1,000 hike from April 2025.
- Immediate release of the ₹1,500 increased incentive announced by the Central Government.
- Continuation of ASHA facilitators with appropriate salaries.
- Release of pending honorarium revision for facilitators, including ₹1,500 monthly arrears for one year (ROP: ₹7,500 for 2025–26).
- Adoption of the West Bengal model for retired ASHA workers.
