West Bengal ASHA workers protest in Kolkata, demand Rs 15,000 salary

ASHA workers in West Bengal staged a protest in Kolkata, demanding a salary hike to Rs 15,000 from the current Rs 5,000. The demonstrators clashed with police barricades and vowed to continue the protest until their demands are met.

ASHA Workers Protest in Kolkata for Salary Hike

The ASHA workers from West Bengal staged a protest in front of the Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake on Wednesday to press for their demands, including a hike in the allowances. The police were deployed to stop them by barricading the road.

Highlighting the cause of the protest, an ASHA worker mentioned that the current salary is insufficient to meet household needs. They want the fixed salary to be increased to Rs 15,000 from Rs 5,000. "Our demand is that our fixed salary should be Rs 15,000, which is currently Rs 5,000. This is not enough to run our household", she said.

The demonstrators clashed with security barricades during the protest, voicing their demands. The police stood firm as they tried to stop them from going further. Another ASHA worker said the protest would continue until their demands are heard and met.

National Attention on Workers' Plight

Earlier during the Winter Session of Parliament in December 2025, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sonia Gandhi spoke on the remuneration of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers in the country.

Addressing the Upper House of the Parliament during the Zero Hour, Sonia Gandhi urged the government to ensure "timely remuneration" and double the Centre's contribution to these frontline workers. She said, "I rise to draw the urgent attention of this House to the continued distress of women workers implementing critical government programmes--ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and helpers, and the community resource persons under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). "These initiatives are intended as pathways to women's empowerment. However, despite their vital contribution to public service delivery, these women workers are overburdened and underpaid. Across the country, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers undertake immunisation, mobilisation, maternal health, and family welfare, yet they remain volunteers with low honorarium and limited social security," she said. (ANI)

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