Bandipora, August 7: Asha workers in the Sumbal region of the Bandipora district in north Kashmir protested on Monday, asking for higher and more consistent pay.
We’ve been at this for 16 years! We were not compensated in any way for the first eight years. According to Sumbal Sonawari Asha Workers Association President Shazia Begum, “the government gave us a thousand rupees and then raised it to two thousand.”
Begum said that she and her colleagues are the “face of the government” and conduct routine home inspections as part of several programmes. However, their income falls short of what they need to survive.
Bano, another Asha employee, said, “We work hard to earn a living, but the amount we get is very low.”
She also said that public animosity over their frequent trips is an issue. She was in charge of a group of Asha employees and remarked, “The government does not care about us.”
Bano said that the department had requested them to go door to door and check golden cards in exchange for a payment of two to three rupees. “Are you kidding me? Are we still in diapers? She questioned whether the situation was fair.
Bano said that the incentives had not been distributed since Eid. She also said that bonuses are unpredictable and that they were not sent out at all last year. They requested that their problems be addressed by superiors.
