The Delhi government has doubled the monthly incentive allowance for around 6,690 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA workers), raising it from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000. The announcement was made at the state-level ASHA Conference and ASHA Samman Samaroh held at Thyagaraj Stadium on Tuesday.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched several public welfare initiatives during the event under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan. The allowance increase was announced as part of the government’s recognition of the contribution made by ASHA workers to the city’s public health system.
According to the report by Live Hindustan – NCR, approximately 6,690 ASHA workers will benefit from the revised incentive allowance. The amount, described in the report as a monthly honorarium, has been increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000.
At the event, Sandhu said healthy citizens were the foundation of a developed Delhi. He said ASHA workers played an important role in taking health services and awareness to pregnant women, children and families. Their work places them at the frontline of contact between households and the public health system.
ASHA workers are involved in community-level health outreach, including engagement with pregnant women, children and families, according to the account of the government programme carried in the report. Their role links neighbourhoods with formal health services, particularly through awareness and outreach activities.
The allowance revision therefore affects both the earnings of a large group of frontline workers and the administrative cost of sustaining community-based health outreach in Delhi. The announcement also included the felicitation of workers who were recognised for outstanding performance.
The increase was presented by the Lieutenant Governor as an acknowledgement of the workers’ contribution and commitment. The event brought together senior political leadership and ASHA workers for the announcement and recognition programme.
The available report does not provide details on the effective date of the revised allowance, the budgetary allocation, the payment schedule or whether any additional changes have been made to the workers’ responsibilities. The next implementation details will determine when the revised monthly amount reaches the approximately 6,690 ASHA workers covered by the announcement.
