The Maharashtra government has decided to increase the honorarium of ASHA workers by Rs one thousand and give an additional Rs 500 as COVID allowance. The pay hike will be implemented from 1st July. Further, as an additional incentive, the state government will provide each of the over 68,000 ASHA workers with a smartphone. Following this announcement, ASHA workers have called off their week-long strike and will resume work tomorrow onwards.

After a meeting at the state secretariat in Mumbai, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said ASHA facilitators will also be given a hike of Rs 1200 in honorarium and Rs 500 as COVID allowance. He said the state will incur an annual expenditure of Rs 202 crores post this hike.

Source: AIR