Lok Sabha Question No. 1650 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-25
Subject: Salary and Facilities to ASHA and ICDS Workers
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SUNIL KUMAR MONDAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1650

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.11.2016

## SALARY AND FACILITIES TO ASHA AND ICDS WORKERS

## 1650 SHRI SUNIL KUMAR MONDAL:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to increase the salary and facilities being provided to ASHA and ICDS scheme workers; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the amount allocated for the purpose during 2016-17?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI KRISHNA RAJ)

(a)&(b)  Integrated  Child  Development  Services  (ICDS)  Scheme  envisages  the  Anganwadi Workers  (AWWs)  &  Anganwadi  Helpers  (AWHs)  as  'honorary  workers'  from  the  local community who come forward to render their services, on part time basis, in the area of child care and  development.  Being  honorary  workers,  they  are  paid  monthly  honoraria  as  decided  by Government from time to time.

At present, AWWs and AWHs are paid honorarium @ Rs.3000/- and Rs.1500/- per month respectively. The honorarium to AWWs of Mini-AWCs is Rs.2250/- w.e.f. 04.07.2013. Besides this,  some  States  /  UTs  are  also  giving  additional  honorarium  to  Anganwadi  Workers  and Anganwadi Helpers out of their own resources for any additional work assigned to them from time to time.

Government of India, is fully conscious of the significance of the voluntary efforts put in by  these  honorary  workers  and  therefore,  continuous  efforts  have  been  made  to  improve  their working  conditions  by  extending  facilities  such  as  paid  absence  on  maternity,  insurance  cover under the Anganwadi Karyakartri Bima Yojana, reservation of 50% of vacant posts of Supervisors for  Anganwadi Workers, recruitment of 25% of Anganwadi Workers from Anganwadi Helpers etc.

Under the National Health Mission (NHM), support is provided by the Central Government to supplement the efforts of the States to strengthen their health care delivery systems including support for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) as per the requirements posed by them in their Programme Implementation Plans.

Under NHM, ASHAs are envisaged as honorary volunteers and receive only performance based incentives that are linked to a set of tasks related to Maternal and Child Health and disease control.  Currently there are over 30 tasks approved at the central level for which the ASHA can claim incentives.  The issue of payment of fixed monthly honorarium has been examined on many occasions and it was decided to continue with the existing system.  However keeping in view the important role that ASHAs play-as a link between community and public health system in rural areas,  the  incentives  to  ASHAs  finalized  at  the  national  level  are  regularly  reviewed  by  the Government and activities for which ASHAs would get incentives are expanded from time to time. The Ministry has, in recent past, not only enhanced the rates of certain existing ASHA incentives

but has also introduced new incentives including those for routine activities  which coupled with other existing routine activities would enable each ASHA to earn at least Rs.1000/- per month subject to her carrying out the routine activities.

Also under the National Health Mission, States have been given the flexibility to design their own incentives to the ASHAs.  Some States have been given the flexibility to design their own incentives as per state specific requirement and activities.  Some States have introduced fixed monthly honorarium for ASHAs out the State budget.  These include States like Sikkim (Rs.3000/p.m.),  Kerala  (Rs.700/-  p.m.),  Rajasthan  (Rs.1600/-  p.m.),  Haryana  (Rs.500/-  p.m.),  Arunachal Pradesh (Rs.3000/- p.m. in non-high priority districts and Rs.4000/- p.m. in high priority districts) and  West  Bengal  (Rs.1500/-  p.m.)    States  of  Karnataka  and  Meghalaya  provide  100%  while Chhattisgarh provides 50% and Tripura provides 33% of matching amount of the incentives earned by an ASHA as a top up.  In addition to the monetary incentives States also provide some nonmonetary incentives to ASHAs.

During  2016-17,  a  sum  of  Rs.14000.00  crore  has  been  allocated  for  implementation  of ICDS Scheme including Salaries, Honorarium, Supplementary nutrition, Training, infrastructure and other facilities for ICDS functionaries.

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