ASHA workers from across Karnataka are scheduled to begin an indefinite protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on November 17, seeking an increase in their monthly honorarium and fulfilment of other demands, according to the State United ASHA Workers’ Association.
Bhagya, president of the association’s H.D. Kote taluk unit, announced the protest after submitting a memorandum to H.D. Kote and Saragur taluk health officer Dr T. Ravikumar. The memorandum sought permission for the workers to participate in the Bengaluru demonstration and requested that alternative arrangements be made for emergency services during the protest.
The association said the protest would continue until its demands are addressed. The announcement comes after an earlier agitation in February 2025, when ASHA workers held a four-day overnight protest seeking an increase in their honorarium.
According to Bhagya, the state government intervened during that protest and assured the workers of an honorarium of ₹10,000. The government had also promised an additional increase of ₹1,000 during the budget presentation and said the revised amount would be implemented from April. The association said these assurances have not been fulfilled so far.
ASHA workers are part of the frontline health workforce that supports the delivery of public health services at the community level. The memorandum submitted to the local health authorities indicates that the proposed protest has an administrative dimension beyond the workers’ pay demands: local officials have been asked to plan for the continuity of emergency services while the protest is under way.
The report does not specify the total number of workers expected to attend the Bengaluru protest, the precise amount of the current honorarium, or the departments involved in processing the promised increase. It also does not state whether the government has issued a fresh response to the association’s latest announcement.
The protest has received support from Navin Kumar of Raithaparva Sangha and Basavaraju of Jeevika Sanghatane, according to the report. H.D. Kote taluk unit office-bearers Manjula, Sudha, Navina, Shashikala, Kalavathi, Shobha, Vasantha and Abidabegam, along with Shivamma, were present during the local mobilisation.
The immediate next step is the proposed indefinite demonstration at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on November 17. The association has said it will not withdraw the protest until its demands are met, while local health authorities have been asked to make alternative arrangements for emergency services.
