Asha workers get over 300% pay hike in Andhra Pradesh

Good news for Asha workers in Andhra Pradesh. Just a few days after taking oath as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jaganmohan Reddy has increased the salaries of Asha workers in the medical and health department from existing Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000. This was one of the promises Reddy had made ahead of Assembly elections in the state. The Andhra government has directed officials to immediately hike the salary of Asha workers from Rs 3000 to Rs 10,000 per month. 

In September last year, the Central government had announced the doubling of routine incentives given by the Union Government to ASHA workers. Modi government had announced a significant increase in the honorarium given to Anganwadi workers from Rs 3000 to Rs 4500.

As many as 10,63,670 ASHAs and ASHA Facilitators were also covered under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. The government had then also announced an increase in routine and recurring incentives from Rs 1000 per month to Rs 2000 per month to benefit 10,22,265 ASHAs. The increase in honorarium for nearly 27,00,000 Anganwadi Workers/Anganwadi Helpers were also announced.

In October 2018, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had approved an increase in supervisory visit charges for ASHA Facilitators from Rs 250 per visit to Rs 300 per visit for 2018-2019 to 2019- 2020. The hike benefitted over 40,000 workers. 

Meanwhile, Reddy will visit Visakhapatnam on Tuesday to seek the blessings of Hindu seer Swamy Swaroopanandendra Saraswati. He is also likely to request the Sharada Peetham pontiff to fix an auspicious time for the expansion of his Cabinet next week. Reddy will reach Visakhapatnam by a special aircraft from Vijayawada on Tuesday morning and drive straight to Sharada Peetham to meet the seer.

Ramdas Athawale,  Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, on Monday appealed to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and YSR Congress Party to join the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre in the interest of the people of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Athawale also advised Reddy against repeating the mistake committed by his predecessor N. Chandrababu Naidu.