The National Health Mission (NHM) has clarified that the Kerala government has already issued an order regarding the disbursal of two months’ pending honorarium to Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and that all steps are being taken to fulfil the procedures and make the payments as early as possible.
In a statement here on Sunday, the Mission said that the Health Minister had written to the Centre about the need to revise the incentive pattern of ASHAs and that the Centre’s response was awaited.
ASHAs have been on a strike in the State since the past six days, demanding the payment of the incentives and honorarium, which has been pending for four months and two months respectively. They are also demanding social security measures like pensions on retirement.
The NHM said that ASHAs were inducted for health-related work at the grassroots level since 2007 in the State and that there was always the clear understanding that they would not receive any salary but that incentives would be paid to them for the work they carry out, under various health projects.
It was the State government’s decision to pay an honorarium to ASHAs and at present the government paid the highest honorarium of ₹7,000/month to ASHAs, the statement said.
Incentives for the implementation of various health schemes are paid by the Centre and State in the 60-40 ratio, which is approximately ₹3,000/month. This apart, ASHAs are also able to earn other incentives up to ₹3,000 through other health-related services. They have a telephone allotment of ₹200. In all, most ASHAs are earning a monthly income of about ₹13,000 or more, the NHM said.
The amount is transferred to the individual accounts of ASHAs through a software.
The NHM said that in 2023-24, even when the Centre did not transfer any funds to the State for giving incentives to ASHAs, the State government had on its own taken on the burden to make the payments.
Published – February 16, 2025 08:48 pm IST