GM Shaheen expresses concern over delay in salaries of Asha workers

Srinagar, Dec 15: Janta Dal (United) Jammu & Kashmir President GM Shaheen on Monday expressed concern over the unpaid and unprotected labour of ASHA workers, whom he described as “frontline staff without rights, salaries, or dignity.”

Shaheen said ASHA workers—responsible for maternal care, immunisation drives, disease surveillance, and emergency health outreach—have been deliberately misclassified as “volunteers” to deny them employee status, fixed wages, and social security, while extracting from them full-time, high-risk service. “This is not welfare policy, this is organised exploitation under the cover of governance,” Shaheen added. Highlighting Kashmir’s extreme climate, Shaheen said ASHA workers are compelled to traverse snowbound villages in sub-zero temperatures without winter allowance, travel support, or insurance, exposing what he called the criminal indifference of the state machinery. He recalled the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that ASHA workers were pushed into frontline duty without protective gear or compensation, while authorities later appropriated credit for outcomes delivered by exhausted and unpaid women. “The government applauded from behind desks while ASHA workers risked their lives in the field,” he said.