ASHA workers demand wages in Bhupalpally

Bhupalpally: Notwithstanding a heavy downpour, the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers staged a protest before the Collectorate here on Monday, demanding pending wages.

The workers said that they had not received salaries for the six months. The TRS, which promised to pay them Rs 7,500 during the elections, was paying between Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000. On the other hand, the Andhra Pradesh government is paying Rs 10,000 per month to ASHA workers.

The workers said that although the government was utilising their services in other works, they were underpaid. "The government, which promised to regularise our wages, is yet to fulfil it. We are yet to be paid for participating in the leprosy survey conducted by the government last year. As if this was not enough, we have to bear expenditure for stationary for submitting reports," an ASHA worker said.

CITU district president B Chakrapani accused the government of being insensitive towards ASHA workers. He demanded the government to fulfil the justifiable demands of the ASHA workers with immediate effect so that to bring cheer on their faces ahead of Dasara.

He threatened to launch an agitation if the government continues to ignore the demands of ASHA workers.