Harish Rao flays govt. for not keeping word given to ASHA workers

HYDERABAD

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has failed to keep the word given in the election manifesto to ASHA (accredited social health activist) workers on giving them fixed pay, senior leader of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former Minister for Health T. Harish Rao alleged.

Speaking at a protest organised by ASHA workers in support of their long-pending demands, including fixed monthly pay here on Monday, he urged the government to resolve the problems of the health workers before the local bodies’ elections. He assured the workers that the BRS would fight on their behalf in and outside the Assembly, if need be.

The State government had called for tenders for works worth ₹50,000 crore but not ready to pay for ASHA workers as promised in the election manifesto, Mr. Harish Rao said. The Chief Minister was busy keeping a scissors in his pocket to cut the ribbons (inaugurations) for works taken up during the BRS rule.

He reminded the Chief Minister that they only want the government to keep the word given on fixed pay. Mr. Harish Rao said the government was planning to spend ₹6,000 crore to get Godavari water to fill Musi as part of the riverfront beautification and was also sparing another ₹4,000 crore for the construction of sewerage treatment plants (STPs) only to get commissions and contracts.

The GHMC had called tenders for works worth ₹6,000 crore and the Irrigation department had invited bids for works worth ₹10,000 crore. Further, tenders were also called for roads in Future City, which was only in the imagination of the Chief Minister. However, the government had no money to pay fixed salaries to ASHA workers.

On the Chief Minister’s Osmania University visit, the BRS leader alleged that the police had been arresting students for the last three days and had imposed large-scale restrictions on the campus for inaugurating a building, construction of which was taken up during the BRS rule.