Health Activists Demand Clarity on Honorarium Before Survey Work

Rapid Summary

• A delegation of the Karnataka State United ASHA Workers Union submitted memorandums to district health officials in Ballari demanding clarity on honorarium for duties related to the Social and Educational Survey 2025.
• ASHA workers have been tasked with distributing survey forms, preparing households to answer questions, ensuring documentation readiness, and uploading data via a mobile app.
• No official order has been issued regarding remuneration despite press reports suggesting ₹2,000 compensation for the work.
• The union claims previous assurances of payment for similar tasks (₹1,000 honorarium and ₹10,000 monthly honorarium from April 1) remain unfulfilled.
• The union demands fair compensation: ₹5,000 per rural worker and ₹10,000 per urban worker due to more extensive work areas in cities. They also call for pending payments from prior surveys to be cleared instantly.
• ASHA workers warn they will withdraw participation unless thes conditions are met.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The concerns raised by KarnatakaS ASHA workers highlight persistent issues with timely and adequate remuneration for government-mandated community service initiatives. These Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) play crucial roles in public health programs but face recurring challenges such as delayed payments that strain their finances and curtail their incentive-based income streams from regular duties. If left unresolved, this issue could hinder public welfare programs reliant on grassroots execution like surveys critical for planning state policies.From an administrative standpoint, ensuring clarity around compensation terms before task allocation would not only improve trust but also enhance worker participation-a necessity given that urban centers especially pose logistical challenges requiring sustained effort by volunteers like ASHAs. addressing payment grievances could further set precedence for equitable labor practices across India’s large informal workforce engaged in government schemes.

Read more: the Hindu