ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers in Haryana are not getting their remunerations for the last six months. Just a year after getting a healthy hike in monthly allowances, the ASHA workers in the State have not been paid since March, 2015.
The misery of the workers is largely due to administrative lapses of the previous Congress regime. When executing the hike in the remuneration of ASHA workers, the health department did not bother to make financial provisions for catering to the hike and funds meant for other schemes were diverted to pay the ASHA workers.
The administrative lapses of the previous regime have resulted in this situation, where the health department is not getting the approval from the Finance department to pay the ASHA workers.
ASHA (health) workers who carry out about 55 types of works in the central and state government health schemes - from vaccination to mother and child health care – had been getting different amount of incentives (remunerations) for different types of works they undertook. In the previous election year, the Bhupendra Singh Hooda government announced a 50% hike in the incentives of the ASHA workers. A fixed amount of Rs.500 per month was also granted.
ASHA workers were getting on an average Rs. 1000 per month after the hike was implemented last year. But they have been runnning from pillar to post to get their meager allowances this year. As a dispute between the finance department and health authorities is not letting the funds released for the payment of the dues of ASHA workers.
There are more than 20 thousand ASHA workers in the state. The health department had not taken financial sanction before granting the hike in their allowances in 2014. The funds meant to be spent on different national health programs were diverted to pay the hike to the ASHA workers. Sources say that funds to the tune of Rs 250 crore were adjusted from the National health programmes like National program on tuberculosis or National programme on cancer etc.
The grants sanctioned by the central government under these programs catered the financial burden of the hikes last year but this year, the finance department has raised objections on diverting the funds without taking a prior approval.
Sources said the dues of ASHA workers has gone past Rs 45 crore till October and the health department is still not in a position to clear the amount. Though the finance department had given its assent to approve the increased funds to cater the hikes in the allowances this year, but the issue of pending adjustments is still hanging fire.
ASHA workers on Wednesday had met Health Minister Anil Vij and sought a solution to the crisis. The Health Minister said that the ASHA workers have to be paid and said he has talked to the authorities on the issue. The remunerations of the ASHA workers would be paid soon, he added.