00:00Hair shorn, mask-tortured heads and month-long hunger strike.
00:04This is the desperate fight of ASHA workers in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram.
00:08They are demanding post-retirement benefits, a pay hike and official recognition as government
00:12workers.
00:13It all began on February 10, 2025.
00:16Hundreds of ASHAs gathered in front of the Kerala Secretariat, raising their voices against
00:20what they call government apathy.
00:22Their demand was simple – dignity for the workers who are the backbone of India's
00:26healthcare system.
00:27Days turned into weeks, talks were held with the government, but no solution came.
00:32Now, on the 50th day, the protest has taken an intense turn.
00:36Thousands of ASHAs have cut their hair, some have shaved their heads bald – an emotional
00:40act of defiance against what they call government indifference.
00:44They even march with fistfuls of their own hair, chanting slogans on MG Road in Thiruvananthapuram.
00:50Similar protests have erupted in Alapura and Angamaly.
00:53Even male supporters have joined in, shaving their heads in solidarity.
00:57What are ASHA workers fighting for?
00:59The ASHA workers have listed 20 demands, but at the heart of it, their fight is for
01:03permanent employment after 16 years of service, fair honorarium rules that don't disqualify
01:08them unfairly, basic dignity official ID cards and uniforms with the National Health Mission
01:13emblem, medical security financial aid for work-related injuries and free treatment in
01:18government hospitals, better work conditions, no unnecessary transfers, reduced workload
01:24and weekly Sundays off, timely wages, no more endless service without proper pay.
01:29The left government in Kerala has taken a firm stance.
01:32It says there's no money to significantly increase the honorarium.
01:35It has placed the responsibility on the central government, claiming that funds under NHM
01:40for 2023-24 were never received.
01:43But the central government tells a different story.
01:45It says Kerala hasn't submitted a utilisation certificate, which is why funds are stuck.
01:50Union Health Minister JP Nanda even announced in Parliament that ASHA's incentives will
01:55be raised, but only after due process.
01:57The Kerala government insists this 50-day-old agitation is not a mass movement.
02:02It claims only 400 ASHAs from the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association are involved, while
02:08the majority affiliated with the CITU-led union have stayed away.
02:12But Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association has a different version.
02:16They say their fight is not about politics, it's about justice.
02:19The question remains, how long will these women fight, how long before the government
02:23listens?
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