Finance
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced an increase in the monthly remuneration of Asha workers in the state. Furthermore, the Asha employee termination incentive amount has been doubled by the government. 49,522 Asha workers in the state will gain from this. The state government will need to spend an extra Rs 148.57 crore year on this.
It’s important to remember that Asha workers and their associations met with 5T and Naveen Odisha Chairman VK Pandian during his district tours, and during those meetings, they offered recommendations and made demands for a rise in their pay.
The monthly remuneration of Asha workers has been increased from Rs 4,500 to Rs 7,000. While earlier they were getting Rs 50,000 during termination of service, now they will get Rs 1 lakh. The state government was spending Rs 59.43 crore annually on their remuneration, but now it will spend Rs 208 crore annually. Similarly, the state government will bear the expenditure of Rs 55 lakh as service interruption assistance.
Asha workers are continuously working to provide support to pregnant women and delivery in the state. They have been successful in raising public knowledge of the different government programs designed for expectant and new mothers. Furthermore, Asha employees have assumed accountability in the areas of institutional delivery and vaccinations.
