Feminist alliance urges Kerala govt to meet ASHA workers’ demands, warns of health fallout

By A Representative 

The All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has issued an urgent appeal to the Chief Minister of Kerala, urging the state to uphold its public-health legacy and meet the demands of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs).

The appeal expressed solidarity with ASHA workers and the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA), who have been holding an indefinite sit-in outside the State Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram since February 10, 2025. The workers have staged hunger strikes, a state-wide march, and even symbolic hair-cutting protests to highlight what they describe as neglect and exploitation.

Despite months of agitation, the government’s main response has been to appoint a five-member committee in May, which unions see as a delaying tactic. In July, the Centre raised the ASHA incentive from ₹2,000 to ₹3,500 and increased the retirement grant to ₹50,000. Kerala workers say this is inadequate, pointing out that states like Maharashtra already pay ASHAs ₹10,000, while in Kerala they earn just ₹7,000.

The alliance said Kerala’s healthcare system is built on the labour of women who remain invisible. “Kerala’s vaunted model of ‘people-centred’ health collapses under the hypocrisy of relying on impoverished women to deliver essential services for a pittance,” the letter stated. “Every day the sit-in continues, the state’s credibility as a ‘global public-health exemplar’ erodes.”

It also warned that delays in resolving the strike could harm public health. “The longer that the government takes to recognize and meet the demands of the workers, the longer the women have to continue their protests, which will have far-reaching consequences,” the appeal noted. “Missed antenatal visits, un-screened hypertension, and postponed mental-health referrals… will manifest as tomorrow’s spikes in maternal deaths, stroke admissions, and suicide attempts.”

Framing the issue as one of justice, the signatories added: “Meeting ASHA demands is not a ‘hand-out’; it is a fiscally prudent investment in Kerala’s human-development engine and an ethical obligation to dismantle gender-caste hierarchies.”

The letter was endorsed by more than 50 activists, academics, health practitioners and feminist leaders from across India, who said the undervaluation of women’s care work entrenches poverty, gender inequality, and caste hierarchies.