OPS urges TN govt to invite ASHA workers for talks on pay hike

Chennai: Expelled AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O. Panneerselvam, has urged the Tamil Nadu government to invite the ASHA workers who staged a protest on Sunday for talks and also to provide them with a consolidated pay of Rs 15,000 per month.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the former Chief Minister called upon the Central government to increase the honorarium of ASHA workers. OPS, as Panneerselvam is popularly known, also urged the Centre to provide activity-based incentives to them.

The ASHA workers staged a demonstration on Sunday in Chennai against them not being given the status of workers despite working 24 hours in the remote areas of the state, including in the hilly areas.

The ASHA workers get a fixed honorarium of Rs 2,000 and incentives of around Rs 1,500 per month from the Central government.

However, OPS said that the ASHA workers have been demanding the Tamil Nadu government to make payments to them.

The former Chief Minister said that health is in the state list in the Constitution and not paying the ASHA workers who are involved with health-related work is not acceptable.

The ASHA workers, it may be noted, are demanding a consolidated payment of Rs 24,000 per month as per the wages fixed by the seventh pay commission.

OPS said that the demand of the ASHA workers are just, adding that a consolidated amount of Rs 3,500 per month is not even sufficient to cover their travel expenses.

It may be noted that some neighbouring states are paying Rs 10,000 as consolidated payment per month to the ASHA workers.