Elamaram Kareem pooh-poohs Asha workers' agitation; article published in CPM mouthpiece draws flak

Kozhikode: An article written by CPM Central Committee member Elamaram Kareem in the party mouthpiece, disparaging the ongoing agitation by ASHA workers in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, has drawn flak from the public. In the article titled "For Whom Is This Strike Drama?", Kareem, a senior leader who has risen in stature in the party through trade union agitations, claims that the movement was being initiated by misleading some ASHA workers. 

He also asserts that the strike is a continuation of a previous protest carried out in the Tata Tea Estate in Munnar, organised by a section of workers under the name ‘Pombilai Oruma’. According to the article, similar to this, some anarchist groups have misled a few ASHA workers into initiating the current strike.

Elamaram Kareem’s article also highlights that the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) scheme was launched under the National Health Mission (NHM) in 2005 by the central government. This project, which focuses on social health workers, specifically employs women. The objective of the programme was to integrate rural populations with public health initiatives, aiming to reduce child mortality rates, ensure maternal safety, and make healthcare accessible to the rural poor. According to NHM guidelines, the women selected for service under this program are considered voluntary workers, and thus, the concept of a fixed wage or minimum salary does not apply. The article further notes that the ASHA, Anganwadi, NHM, and MGNREGA programs are all part of central schemes.

The article emphasises that states have the authority to implement central schemes according to the conditions specified in the projects. The state government can only provide salaries and other benefits to those appointed according to state laws. Kareem argues in his article that, just because ASHA workers are functioning under the Health Department in the state, the government cannot accept their demand for salaries and benefits like other regular employees under various departments. Kareem also questions whether the Congress-led UDF government, which now supports the strike, ever implemented this matter when they were in power.

The article also criticises the UDF for supporting the current strike. Kareem states that the UDF government, which ruled Kerala at the time, failed to implement the ASHA scheme initiated by the central government. It was only after the LDF government came to power in 2006 that the scheme was implemented in the state. During the VS Achuthanandan-led LDF government’s tenure, ASHA workers raised their voices under the leadership of CITU, demanding festival allowances, which resulted in a grant of Rs 500 for Onam. The government also decided to give a monthly honorarium of Rs 3000 as per the demands of the organisation. However, after the UDF government came to power in 2011, 14 months passed without any honorarium or incentives being given, the article claims.

The article further mentions that when K.K. Shailaja was the Health Minister in the Pinarayi government in 2016, she took a pro-ASHA stance. The LDF government gradually increased the honorarium for ASHA workers, ultimately reaching Rs 6000 for Onam, and also decided to send the honorarium and incentives directly to their bank accounts. All of this was achieved due to the continuous protests led by the ASHA Workers Federation (CITU).

After the second Pinarayi government came to power, the central government failed to release Rs 468 crore due to the NHM fund, creating a financial crisis that delayed the payment of incentives. However, the state government eventually made the payment from its own funds for one year. During this period, the central government also canceled the insurance scheme ASHA Kiran for ASHA workers. Throughout this time, no other organisation, except CITU, raised their voice for the workers.

Despite the severe financial crisis, the LDF government raised the honorarium by Rs 1000. The article concludes by stating that the real goal of those criticising the government, Health Minister Veena George, and CITU’s consistent intervention is not to protect the interests of ASHA workers, but to tarnish the image of the LDF government, which has been actively addressing the workers’ issues. It ends by asserting that the majority of ASHA workers are not part of the politically motivated strike.