Asha workers in Kerala to continue strike as two separate rounds of conciliation talks fail

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Thiruvananthapuram, March 19 (IANS) Protesting Asha workers in Kerala will continue their strike after two different conciliation talks that took place at two levels on Wednesday failed to reach a solution to the issue.

Wednesday was the 38th day since the protest began in front of the state Secretariat here.

In the afternoon, an hour-long conciliation meeting called by the director of the National Health Mission with the representatives of the protesting Asha workers was held with the two sides sticking to their stands.

The NHM director, who was deputed to speak to the protesters’ representatives expressed the inability of the state government to increase daily wages from Rs 232 to Rs 700 as demanded by the protesters.

The director said the present financial position of the state government is appallingly poor and at the moment, none of their demands can be met but all these will be met favourably once when the financial situation of the state improves.

Asha workers, who have been staying put before the Secretariat, demanding a hike in their monthly honorarium from Rs 7,000 to Rs 21,000, along with retirement benefits of a lump sum payment of Rs 5 lakh when they retire at the age of 62.

“We went with a lot of hope and have returned with a heavy heart. We informed the director that we are unable to withdraw from the strike as we had raised only genuine demands,” said a leader of the Asha workers who took part in the conciliation talks.

Soon after this, the Asha workers shouted anti-government slogans and marched down the MG Road.

Later hopes brightened up again when the word came that state Health Minister Veena George would meet them and the same team of leaders reached the state Assembly. However, after another hour of talks, the deadlock was unable to be broken as the two sides continued to stick to their stands.

After the talks failed, the leaders said that the conciliation meeting called by the Minister was just meant to show the world that the government was trying to resolve issues.

“Nothing has moved as the Minister was trying to cite the poor financial condition of the state government and wanted us to withdraw from the strike… and as and when things get better, they will do what can be done,” said Mini, the leader of Asha workers.

“The Minister said she is soon going to Delhi and will take up the issue with the Centre. Since nothing has happened after two rounds of meetings, we have decided to go forward with our protests and on Thursday we are beginning an indefinite fast and will not go back till our demands are met,” Mini added.

George later told the media that two rounds of discussion took place during the day.

“I met them after they wanted to discuss the issue with the Minister. This is the second time I have met them. I requested them to withdraw the protest. The honorarium of Rs 7,000 given by the state and incentive of Rs 3,000 is equally borne by both state and government,” said George.

She said there are 26,125 Asha workers and around 450 are protesting, while 13,000 of them do not have insurance “and we have raised this with the Centre”.

“I have told them that I am soon meeting the Union Minister of Health and will raise all the issues raised by Asha workers,” George added.

Meanwhile with the talks now failing, the protesters, as announced on Monday, will intensify their protests when from Thursday morning, three of their leaders will begin an indefinite fast till their demands are met.

Hearing their leaders announcing that the talks had failed, many of the protesting Asha workers were seen wiping their tears.

“We are determined that we will not go back from here till our demands are met. We are going forward unitedly,” a protester said and slammed the Pinarayi Vijayan government for failing to listen to their grievances.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government has come under sharp criticism not just from the Congress-led UDF and the BJP but from various sections of society and with every passing day, the support base for the Asha workers is increasing, even as their indefinite fast starts on Thursday.

–IANS

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With thousands gathering for the final holy dip, the Maha Kumbh is concluding with a historic spiritual fervour.

To manage the massive influx, extensive security measures have been deployed, particularly around prominent Lord Shiva temples. The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has ensured smooth crowd management, with officials confirming the seamless execution of arrangements.

Adding to the grandeur, a spectacular shower of 20 quintals of rose petals adorned the pilgrims as they performed the sacred ritual at the Sangam. The floral tribute, organised by the state government, heightened the spiritual ambience and was received with immense joy and devotion.

Pilgrims from across the country, along with international visitors, have expressed their awe at the scale and sanctity of the Maha Kumbh.

A foreign devotee, experiencing the event for the first time, shared, “It feels deeply spiritual and special. I’ve attended many festivals, but India is truly unique… I can’t put it into words.”

Another devotee expressed gratitude, saying, “I feel fortunate to witness this divine event. The arrangements are excellent, and everything is functioning smoothly.”

Despite the overwhelming turnout, CM Yogi Adityanath’s continuous monitoring has ensured the event remains well-organised. Pilgrims have widely praised the efficient arrangements, highlighting the seamless management of the world’s largest religious gathering.

Providing security details, ADG Prayagraj Bhanu Bhaskar told IANS, “Since morning, large crowds have been gathering at the ghats. So far, 41 lakh people have taken a dip, bringing the total number of visitors to 64.77 crores. A strong police presence has been deployed at all Shivalayas across the city, apart from the Sangam, to ensure smooth darshan and worship.”

Elaborating on the movement strategy, he added, “Our traditional exit route passes through Triveni via Mahavir Ho and Akshay Bhatt Ho, but we have activated additional exit routes. Every Shiv temple has designated entry and exit points to manage the crowd efficiently.”

DIG Maha Kumbh, Vaibhav Krishna, emphasised that crowd management has been highly effective, stating, “There is no VIP movement today, and no mechanised boats are allowed at the ghats — only manually operated paddle boats are in operation. Police forces are stationed at all Shiva temples to ensure orderly water offerings and darshan.”

The Maha Kumbh 2025 has set an unparalleled record with over 64 crore devotees taking part in the holy dip, making it the largest human gathering in history.

Breaking down the numbers, 1.70 crore devotees bathed on Paush Purnima, 3.50 crore on Makar Sankranti, 7.64 crore on Mauni Amavasya, 2.57 crore on Basant Panchami, and 2.04 crore on Magh Purnima, underscoring the spiritual and cultural significance of this grand event.

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Verma told IANS that this fact has already been conveyed by Rahul Gandhi’s “dear friend and the Congress Party’s poster-boy, Raghuram Rajan”.

“I am not a fan of Rajan but for once, he spoke the truth when he said that 2006-2008 was the period when the banking system saw its back broken by large corporates who had the power to get loans merely by making a phone call to South block or North Block system,” she emphasised.

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Rahul Gandhi’s claim that India’s banking system is reeling under NPAs is not true and today, public sector banks have gross NPA to the tune of barely 3 per cent and net NPAs to the tune of barely 1.2 per cent.

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In the last 10 years, 54 crore Jan Dhan accounts and more than 52 crore collateral-free loans under various flagship financial inclusion schemes (PM MUDRA, Stand-Up India, PM-SVANidhi, PM Vishwakarma) have been sanctioned.

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