Thiruvananthapuram, 18 May (H.S.):Former Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Monday criticised the state government's decision to increase the honorarium for ASHA workers, calling the move inadequate and accusing the administration of failing to meet the expectations it had raised before coming to power.

In a Facebook post, the senior CPM leader mocked the government's decision, comparing it to “a mountain giving birth to a mouse,” suggesting that the outcome had fallen far short of what had been promised to ASHA workers and the public.

Balagopal recalled that ASHA workers and several organisations had staged months-long protests in front of the Secretariat demanding a substantial increase in wages and retirement benefits. Among the key demands raised during the protests were an increase in the monthly honorarium to Rs 21,000 and a retirement benefit of Rs 5 lakh.

He pointed out that during the agitation, the then Leader of the Opposition and current Chief Minister had publicly assured ASHA workers that their demands would be addressed in the very first Cabinet meeting if his alliance came to power.

Questioning whether the government had lived up to those assurances, Balagopal argued that the present increase was modest when compared to the steps taken by the previous Left administration.

The former Finance Minister highlighted that the Left government had implemented significant increases in ASHA workers’ honorarium over the years. According to him, when the first Pinarayi Vijayan government assumed office, the monthly honorarium stood at Rs 1,000. By the time the second Pinarayi government completed its tenure, it had risen to Rs 9,000.

He said this represented a cumulative increase of Rs 8,000 during the Left government’s tenure, adding that an additional Rs 2,000 increase had also been provided in two separate phases during the last six months.

Balagopal also referred to the protests held during the tenure of the Oommen Chandy government, recalling that ASHA workers had then agitated for an increase when the honorarium was only Rs 500, and said Kerala had not forgotten those struggles.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman