Thiruvananthapuram: The meeting between ASHA workers and the National Health Mission (NHM) state unit ended in failure, with the protest committee leader S Mini, stating that the issues raised them were not addressed. The discussion, which took place at the NHM Kerala unit office at 12:30 pm, failed to engage with any of the key concerns. As a result, the committee has confirmed that the strike will continue unabated.

The protest committee made it clear that none of the important demands were discussed during the meeting. "The government claims there is no money, and more time is needed." Despite being urged to call off the strike, the committee refused to back down and announced that the indefinite hunger strike will proceed strongly from Thursday.

The committee further explained that the meeting focused primarily on the issue of incentives and honorariums. They also expressed frustration that key issues such as retirement benefits and retirement age were not discussed. However, it was mentioned at the end of the meeting that the workers would be given an opportunity for further discussions with the minister.

The government had called for the meeting after the strike had entered its 38th day. The primary demand of the ASHA workers is an increase in their honorarium, alongside other demands including the provision of pensions and the payment of outstanding arrears.