Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) in Bengal`s district Darjeeling has threatened to halt work if their honorarium is not paid on time.

On Tuesday, they staged a demonstration in front of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) office and submitted a nine-point charter of demands which include timely payment of their honorarium.

Sefali Bhattacharya, secretary of Health Workers Union, SMC said, “Though we risk our lives and work hard amid the Covid-19 pandemic, we have to beg for our honorarium. We have not yet received June’s money. Why should we plead for the money we are entitled to?”

There are 216 ASHA workers and 35 first-tier supervisors in Siliguri town. They have been working as frontline workers in reaching out to people in the fight against Covid-19.

This demand comes after the district Darjeeling administration has been reporting a spike in daily Covid cases.

The demands of ASHA workers include vaccination for their families and â‚¹1 lakh for Covid-19 treatment. ASHA workers in Mirik block also demonstrated last week demanding a timely payment.

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