Overview
- The Kerala government issued a new order removing the minimum incentive rule and the medical-officer certification that had been used to withhold full monthly honorariums from ASHA workers.
- Under the earlier system, failing to earn at least ₹500 in small task-based incentives could halve a worker’s monthly payment from ₹12,000 to ₹6,000 because incentives were tied to specific tasks such as antenatal escorts and child immunisation.
- The Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association led strikes and formal representations arguing the rule penalised workers for demographic realities beyond their control, and the union pressure prompted the government change.
- In Telangana, ASHA unions reported many July payments were not credited despite a disbursement attempt and have submitted memoranda demanding immediate release of dues and a move to a fixed ₹18,000 monthly salary with statutory PF, ESI, and job security.
- Delinking pay from short-term incentives should help retention and morale in sparsely populated and tribal wards where case-based targets are rare, and the change may increase pressure on other states to adopt steadier pay and benefits for ASHAs.