Gadwal: The Telangana ASHA Workers Union, affiliated with CITU, demanded that the state government imple-ment a fixed salary of Rs 18,000 for ASHA workers in the upcoming budget session of the Assembly in February. District President Padma and Secretary Sunitha led the protest in the district headquarters, starting with a march from Nobel School to the Collector’s Office, where they staged a dharna and sub-mitted a memorandum to Superintendent Joshi.

During the protest, the leaders highlighted that ASHA workers had conducted an indefinite strike for 15 days in September 2023. They recalled the assurances made by the then Commissioner to address their issues, including the promise of Rs 18,000 fixed salaries and the formation of a committee with IAS officers for resolving their grievances. However, they criticized the previous government for failing to ful-fill these promises, which they claimed led to its downfall. The leaders also pointed out that the Congress Party had made several promises during the Assembly elections, including fixed salaries, job security, maternity leave, and other benefits. They accused the cur-rent government, which is about to complete a year in power, of neglecting ASHA workers’ issues. The union demanded immediate implementation of the fixed salary, along with PF, ESI facilities, promotions to ANM positions, weightage marks, and an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh. They warned of prolonged protests if their demands were not met in the February budget session.