Since July 12, hundreds of Accredited Social Well being Activists (ASHAs) have been on indefinite strike, demanding that the state authorities present increased wages, authorities worker standing, a pension as part of their retirement package deal, and the disbursal of pending funds from April 2019 to November 2020.

On Thursday, August 3, as many as 90,000 ASHAs staged a protest within the capital of India’s Bihar State, Patna. Hundreds gathered on the Gardanibagh in Patna and held a sit-in close to the Bihar State Meeting premises. The employees have threatened to accentuate their mobilization within the coming days if the authorities fail to deal with their calls for.

ASHAs have been demanding a daily month-to-month wage of INR 10,000 ($120) as a substitute of the present ‘reward’ of INR 1,000 ($12) a month, in addition to pensions.

ASHAs are skilled feminine well being employees who carry out a spread of duties, from group well being planning to referral and accompaniment providers for reproductive and baby well being, dissemination of knowledge on points which impression well being like sanitation and vitamin, preventive care and remedy, and prenatal and postnatal care when it comes to immunization and counseling. These well being activists, first launched underneath the Nationwide Rural Well being Mission, are chosen from throughout the village group and act as key intermediaries between them and the general public well being system.