ASHA, Anganwadi and ICDS workers’ payouts rise by Rs 5,000

Kolkata: Finance minister Swapan Dasgupta has proposed an increase in the monthly honorarium of Anganwadi workers and helpers of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), as well as Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, by Rs 5,000.While making this proposal, Dasgupta said: “They have contributed a lot in lifting the nutritional standards of children under six, pregnant women and lactating mothers. ASHA workers have helped in taking the primary medical services to the doorsteps of people and connected marginalised population with the public health system.”At present, the state has over two lakh Anganwadi workers whose monthly honorarium is Rs 9,000 each.

Their helpers now get Rs 6,500. Similarly, there are around 65,000 ASHA workers in the state, and once the hike comes into effect, they will get Rs 10,000 per month.A budgetary allocation of ₹3,100 crore has been earmarked to implement the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme, which will provide ₹5 lakh in health coverage to economically weaker sections, effectively shielding around 7 crore people.