SHILLONG: Social activist Egenstar Kurkalang has urged Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to provide self protection materials to ASHA workers and also to release their pending dues and benefits.
In a letter addressed to the chief minister on Thursday, Kurkalang said the ASHA workers who are the primary health workers at the grassroot level are attending to all types of health needs of pregnant women, children as well as other duties as instructed by the superior authority irrespective of weather conditions.
The letter said though the government had assigned duty to them in the villages to be part in fighting against COVID-19, they need to use proper safety measures, but the government could not provide them adequate self protection materials and some among them are having only face masks or one set of gloves and a few sanitisers. Moreover , there is irregularity in releasing their dues and incentives.
The disbursement of monthly honorarium of Rs 2000 as fixed by the Centre is irregular as they are receiving the amount ranging from Rs 800 to Rs 1,800.
The government also could not release other incentives since 2012 till date causing financial hardships and mental agony.
