SHILLONG:
Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh has invited the Meghalaya Accredited Social Health Activist Workers Union (MASHAWU) on November 22 for a discussion on their demands.
“…the minister incharge health and family welfare has called a meeting with the office functionaries of the MASHAWU on November 22 in her office chamber in connection with the cease from work by ASHA workers,” said a letter issued by the department to the Union on Monday.
This came after the ASHA workers had decided to intensify their agitation by organising a protest march to Secretariat on November 27, against the state government’s adamant attitude towards their demand for enhancing the fixed honorarium to Rs 5,000.
A peace rally was also held on Friday and participated by hundreds of ASHA workers.
“We have decided to take out a protest march and organize an indefinite sit-in-demonstration in front of the secretariat,” President of the Union Marajune Myrsing had said.
Myrsing had also maintained that there would be no retreat and no surrender if the state government failed to come up with some kind of assurance to the issues of the ASHAs.
The ASHA workers have been demanding the state government to enhance their fixed honorarium from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000.
Health care services in over 7,000 villages have been affected in view of the indefinite strike by the ASHA workers for the past two weeks.
