Hundreds of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) began their three-day protest seeking the fulfilment of their various demands in the districts of Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Davangere and Uttara Kannada on Tuesday.
The protests have come in response to a call for a State-wide agitation by the Karnataka Rajya Samyukta ASHA Karyakarteyara Sangha seeking the fulfilment of their various demands, including the implementation of an order on giving â¹10,000 honorarium to ASHAs from April 2025.
In Dharwad, scores of social health activists marched from Dr. Mallikarjun Mansur Kalabhavan to the office of the Deputy Commissioner where they began their three-day day and night protest.
Office-bearers of the district unit of the sangha Bhuvana Ballari, Bharati Shettar, Sujata Hiremath, Shaila Mudgal and others led the protest march and subsequently, submitted memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister, Health Minister and others to the district authorities.
In Gadag, a similar protest was organised at the Gandhi Circle where scores of ASHAs gathered to highlight their long-pending demands.
Haveri too witnessed a massive protest by social health activists after which they began their day and night dharna.
Similar protests were witnessed in the district headquarters of Davangere and Uttara Kannada.
The main grouse of the social health activists is that after their indefinite protest during January 2025, the State government agreed to fulfil a few of their demands, including fixing a minimum honorarium of â¹10,000 and additional incentives based on additional work and others.
But these assurances given by the Chief Minister himself and officials have not been implemented till date, they said.
In further developments, 2,000 women who worked as facilitators have been removed along with retiring ASHAs aged over 60 without any compensation.
The sangha has raised exception to it and also to the online data evaluation being carried out by the department.
