Thiruvananthapuram: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in Kerala, who have been staging a months-long agitation outside the state Secretariat demanding better pay and post-retirement benefits, have welcomed the Union government’s reported decision to hike their fixed monthly incentive.

According to media reports, during the 9th meeting of the Mission Steering Group, the Centre approved a proposal to increase the fixed monthly incentive for ASHA workers from ₹2,000 to ₹3,500. The reports also suggested an enhancement of the retirement benefits from ₹20,000 to ₹50,000.

S Mini, state vice president of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association, expressed cautious optimism about the move, stating that while it was a long-standing demand, their protest in Thiruvananthapuram would continue until the Kerala government also responded with a hike in the state honorarium.

“We welcome the Union government’s decision. The incentive had remained unchanged for 18 years since the scheme began. We have carried out two Parliament marches demanding this revision,” Mini told reporters.

She also noted that Members of Parliament from Kerala had visited their protest site earlier this year and assured them that the matter would be taken up with the Centre. The Centre’s announcement, she said, appeared to be a follow-up to those assurances.

The indefinite strike, ongoing since February 10, has seen a section of ASHA workers demanding that the state government raise their honorarium from ₹7,000 to ₹21,000 and provide a post-retirement benefit of ₹5 lakh. The Centre's decision, while welcomed, is only one part of their broader demand for recognition, regularisation, and financial dignity.