Lok Sabha Question No. 815 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-14
Subject: Welfare of ASHA Workers
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: N.K. PREMACHANDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 815 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14 TH DECEMBER, 2018

## WELFARE OF ASHA WORK ERS

## 815. SHRI N.K.PREMACHANDRAN:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a)  the  State/UT - wise  details  of number  of  ASHA  workers  enrolled  and  the monthly remuneration and other benefits given to ASHA workers;

(b) whether the Government has taken note that the remuneration given to the ASHA workers is very low considering that the duties and service rendered by them; (c) if so, the details of the action taken by the Government for increasing the remuneration and other welfare measurers of ASHA workers;

(d)whether the Government proposes to regularize the service of ASHA workers considering the essential and permanent requirement of their service, if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether the Government proposes to give the ASHA workers salary and other benef its of Group D employees in the Central Government service; and

(f) whether the Government proposes to increase the number of ASHA workers, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a): The  State/  UT  wise  number  of  ASHAs  is  at  Annexure. Under  the  National  Health Mission,  ASHAs  are  envisaged  to  be  community  health  volunteers  and  are  entitled  only task/activity  based  incentives.  Apart  from  incentives  approved for  ASHAs  at  national  level, States have the flexibility to design ASHA incentives. The quantum of incentives earned by the ASHAs depends on activities undertaken and the population covered by her.

(b) & (c): The incentives to ASHAs finalized at the natio nal level are regularly reviewed by the Government and activities for which ASHAs would get incentives are expanded from time time.  In  2013  ASHA  incentives  were  enhanced    for  many  activities  and  new  incentives routine and recurring activities were i ntroduced to ensure that ASHAs get at least Rs. 1000/ -per month subject to her carrying out the activity. The Union Cabinet has recently approved i in the amount of routine and recurring incentives under National Health Mission for ASHAs willenable  ASHAs  to  get  at  least  Rs  2000/ - per  month  subject  to  ASHAs  carrying  out  the activities. The Union Cabinet has also approved inclusion of ASHAs and ASHA facilitators meet  the  eligibility  criteria  to  be  enrolled  in  social  security  schemes  impleme nted  by Government of India namely, the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantr Suraksha Bima Yojana. In addition, States also provide monetary and non - monetary incentives to ASHAs out of state budget

(d) & (e): There is no such proposa l under consideration. As mentioned in reply to part (a) ASHAs are community health volunteers.

(f): As per guidelines, ASHAs are selected based on population norm of one ASHA per 1000 population.  When  the  population  exceeds  one  thousand,  another  ASHA  c an  be  engaged However,  however  in  tribal,  hilly  and  desert  areas  the  norms  are  relaxed  to  one  ASHA habitation irrespective of population size, depending on the workload, geographic dispersi difficult terrain. In urban areas the selection norms i s one ASHA for every 1000 - 2500 population and when the population covered increases to more than 2500 another ASHA can be engaged.

| Status of ASHAs Selected/In - Position under NHM   | Status of ASHAs Selected/In - Position under NHM   | Status of ASHAs Selected/In - Position under NHM   | Status of ASHAs Selected/In - Position under NHM   | Status of ASHAs Selected/In - Position under NHM   |
|----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| S.No.                                              | States/UTs                                         | ASHAs Selected (Rural)                             | ASHA - In Position (Urban)                         | Total ASHAs                                        |
| 1                                                  | Bihar                                              | 87611                                              | 409                                                | 88020                                              |
| 2                                                  | Chhattisgarh                                       | 66713                                              | 3295                                               | 70008                                              |
| 3                                                  | Himachal Pradesh*                                  | 32342                                              | 32                                                 | 32374                                              |
| 4                                                  | Jammu & Kashmir                                    | 11853                                              | 63                                                 | 11916                                              |
| 5                                                  | Jharkhand                                          | 40964                                              | 240                                                | 41204                                              |
| 6                                                  | Madhya Pradesh                                     | 70340                                              | 3749                                               | 74089                                              |
| 7                                                  | Odisha                                             | 46757                                              | 1449                                               | 48206                                              |
| 8                                                  | Rajasthan                                          | 58528                                              | 4098                                               | 62626                                              |
| 9                                                  | Uttar Pradesh                                      | 154776                                             | 5072                                               | 159848                                             |
| 10                                                 | Uttarakhand                                        | 11086                                              | 561                                                | 11647                                              |
| 11                                                 | Arunchal Pradesh                                   | 3837                                               | 42                                                 | 3879                                               |
| 12                                                 | Assam                                              | 30619                                              | 1155                                               | 31774                                              |
| 13                                                 | Manipur                                            | 4009                                               | 81                                                 | 4090                                               |
| 14                                                 | Meghalaya                                          | 6516                                               | 165                                                | 6681                                               |
| 15                                                 | Mizoram                                            | 1091                                               | 79                                                 | 1170                                               |
| 16                                                 | Nagaland                                           | 1887                                               | 37                                                 | 1924                                               |
| 17                                                 | Sikkim                                             | 641                                                | 25                                                 | 666                                                |
| 18                                                 | Tripura                                            | 7590                                               | 356                                                | 7946                                               |
| 19                                                 | Andhra Pradesh                                     | 39009                                              | 2660                                               | 41669                                              |
| 20                                                 | Goa                                                | 0                                                  | 0                                                  | 0                                                  |
| 21                                                 | Gujarat                                            | 39237                                              | 4052                                               | 43289                                              |
| 22                                                 | Haryana                                            | 17369                                              | 2484                                               | 19853                                              |
| 23                                                 | Karnataka                                          | 37001                                              | 2672                                               | 39673                                              |
| 24                                                 | Kerala                                             | 28115                                              | 1820                                               | 29935                                              |
| 25                                                 | Maharashtra                                        | 60670                                              | 8407                                               | 69077                                              |
| 26                                                 | Punjab                                             | 18904                                              | 2191                                               | 21095                                              |
| 27                                                 | Tamil Nadu                                         | 3905                                               | 0                                                  | 3905                                               |
| 28                                                 | Talengna                                           | 29257                                              | 3142                                               | 32399                                              |
| 29                                                 | West Bengal                                        | 54628                                              | 5380                                               | 60008                                              |
| 30                                                 | A & N Islands                                      | 407                                                | 0                                                  | 407                                                |
| 31                                                 | Chandigarh                                         | 14                                                 | 16                                                 | 30                                                 |
| 32                                                 | D & N Haveli                                       | 456                                                | 59                                                 | 515                                                |
| 33                                                 | Daman & Diu                                        | 88                                                 | 9                                                  | 97                                                 |
| 34                                                 | Delhi                                              | 0                                                  | 5749                                               | 5749                                               |
| 35                                                 | Lakshadweep                                        | 110                                                | 0                                                  | 110                                                |
| 36                                                 | Puducherry                                         | 0                                                  | 0                                                  | 0                                                  |
| Total                                              |                                                    | 966330                                             | 59549                                              | 1025879                                            |

Source: NHM-MIS report

Note * Including Link worker