Asha workers to observe 'Demands Day' on June 25

Srikakulam: As frontline warriors, Asha workers are playing keyrole in conducting door-to-door health survey in rural and urban areas, collection of samples from suspected persons and also from inmates of quarantine centres.

These workers are discharging duties on par with medical staff as part of Covid control process risking their lives. They are picking persons, who exposed to Covid symptoms from their residences to Covid hospitals. They are also attending duties at the residences of those persons who are under home quarantine. Despite all these hard times, these frontline warriors are not provided with proper protective equipment to defend themselves from the Covid. They have no adequate protective masks as a result they are using their handkerchief as masks. Hand gloves and sanitisers are also not supplied to these workers

to protect themselves from contamination. Most of the Asha workers are yet to be tested medically to detect Covid as they are attending duties and moving closely with persons and containment zones where Covid cases are found. These workers have no facility for water and food while attending duties. They are eating food sitting on floors at quarantine centres and containment zones. Previously their monthly salary was Rs 4,775, recently the Central government has provided Rs 5,725 as its share making their total salary as Rs 10,500 per month but it has not been crediting for the last two months for Asha workers even in crisis period.

In total, 3,000 Asha workers have been working in Covid duties across the district since March this year. The Asha workers have not been provided uniforms for the last three years. "We are attending Covid duties by risking our life and lives of our family members as we have no protection to our lives and livelihood," stated Asha workers district union president Buridi Swapna to The Hans India while pouring out their woes.

"We are attending duties for more than 12 hours in a day without having water and food and no transport facility," stated an Asha worker Ch Laxmi.

Asha workers district union general secretary K Naga Mani said that Asha workers will observe 'demands day' across the country on June 25 demanding both the Central and state governments to recognise their services as emergency and provide protective equipment to defend themselves from the Covid and job security.