PCMC opposition leader wants insurance cover, honorarium for asha workers

PUNE: Vitthal alias Nana Kate, leader of opposition in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation(PCMC), has demanded that the civic body should provide insurance cover, honorarium and encouragement allowance to asha workers.

He has said that all the civic officials and employees are working on a war footing to control the Covid-19 situation in the city after the first positive patient was found on March 26. They are providing their services and working without caring for their lives. The number of Covid-19 positive patients is under control in the city due to their efforts.

“Civic officials, doctors, nurses, wardboys and other employees, employees conducting survey and police have a lion’s share in these efforts. The civic body is providing insurance cover as well as salaries and honorarium to the employees. Asha workers appointed by the Union and state government too are conducting the survey. But they are not being provided insurance cover, honorarium and encouragement allowance”, added Kate.

Kate said that he has made a demand to municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar that the civic body should provide all these incentives to Asha workers.

He further stated that asha workers were also working in the city to reduce the child death rate, pregnant woman death rate, finding patients of various diseases and giving them guidance. But now the civic body has given the responsibility to them to conduct survey now. Union and state government give them honorarium which is performance based. They are facing various difficulties in getting it.

Source: The Times of India