Thiruvananthapuram: ASHA workers have announced that they will undertake a day-night protest march from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram from 5 May to 17 June. In a statement released on Monday, they said that the protest programme is being organised to demand an increase in honorarium and retirement benefits.

The day-night sit-in protest being held in front of the Secretariat under the leadership of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association has now entered its 71st day. An indefinite hunger strike has also been ongoing for 33 days. However, the ASHA workers claim that the government has not yet responded to their demands.

They allege that the approach taken by the government towards the protestors is undemocratic, something not seen from any previous administration. Even though the general public has extended wholehearted support to the ASHA protest, the government remains unwilling to meet their demands, they added.

According to the statement released by the ASHA workers, the government is only interested in protecting capitalist interests, and its harsh stance towards the protest is a challenge to democratic values. Taking into account the opinions of social and cultural activists, the ASHA workers stated that they are expanding the survival protest in front of the Secretariat to a state-wide movement through the day-night protest march.

The state general secretary of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association, M.A. Bindu, will be the captain of the march. The flag-off will take place on 1 May. The march will travel through each district over a span of two to three days. The ASHA workers will rest at night on the streets. The 45-day-long journey will culminate in Thiruvananthapuram on 17 June, with the participation of ASHA workers from across the state gathering in front of the Secretariat.