Thiruvananthapuram:  Amid ongoing strike by ASHA workers in Kerala, the state government has issued an official order to withdraw the 10 eligibility criteria for receiving an honorarium—one of the key demands of the protesters. While the decision to relax these conditions had been agreed upon in principle earlier, the official order has only been issued now.

However, their key demands such as an increase in honorarium and pension benefits remain unaddressed. ASHA workers acknowledged the withdrawal of criteria as a partial victory. However, they maintained that their protest would continue.

As their indefinite day-and-night strike entered its 36th day, ASHA workers intensified their agitation by laying siege to the Secretariat on Monday. The demonstration, set to continue until 6 pm, saw major gates of the Secretariat blocked. Police have sealed the entrances and deployed tight security, while various supporting organisations joined the protest.

Meanwhile, the Health Department had scheduled a palliative care training programme for ASHA workers on Monday in three districts – Thrissur, Alappuzha, and Kollam. A notice issued by the Health Department on Saturday afternoon instructed that all ASHA workers must attend, attendance must be strictly monitored, and a database of participants must be maintained. However, the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association had already announced a boycott of the session, calling it an attempt to foil their protest.