Lok Sabha Question No. 2087 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-23
Subject: Incentives for ASHA Workers for Covid-19 Duties
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Rahul Gandhi

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2087 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 RD SEPTEMBER, 2020

## INCENTIVES FOR ASHA WORKERS FOR COVID - 19 DUTIES

## 2087. SHRI RAHUL GANDHI:

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

- (a) whether ASHA workers are being provided incentives in addition to their honorarium for theadditional tasks being undertaken for COVID -19 duty;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)the  details  of  steps  being  taken  to  ensure  timely payment  of  honorarium  to  ASHA workers;
- (d) whether a number of ASHA workers have died in the course of COVID - 19 duty;
- (e) if so, State/UT -wise details thereof; and
- (f) the number of claims filed and processed under the insurance scheme for health workers fighting COVID -19 under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan package?

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

- (a) & (b) : Yes .The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India has provisioned additional  incentive  of  Rs.  1000  per  month  under  the  'India  COVID  19  Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package' to ASHAs for undertaking COVID 19 related activities for the period of their engagement in this work. Further the benef under  'Pradhan  Mantri  Garib  Kalyan  Package  :  Insurance  Scheme  for  Health  Workers Fighting COVID 19', has been launched  to provide an insurance cover of Rs. 50 lakh to public  health  provi ders  including  ASHAs,  who  may  be  at  risk  of  being  impacted  by COVID 19.
- (c): Public  Health  and  Hospitals  is  a  State  subject,    as  such  responsibility  for payment of incentive to ASHAs lies with the respective States/UTs. The Ministry of Heal th and  Family  Welfare,  Government  of  India,  requests  the  States/UTs    time  and  again, ensure that  incentives  are paid to ASHAs without any delay.
- (d) &(e) : A statement showing, State/UT - wise, numbers ASHAs died during COVID 19 activities  as  reported  by  the  States/UTs  under  'Pradhan  Mantri  Garib  Kalyan  Package: Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID 19',  is given at Annexure -I.
- (f): A st atement showing details of claim filed and processed for ASHA workers under 'Pradhan  Mantri  Garib  Kalyan  Package  :  Insurance  Scheme  for  Health  workers  fighting COVID 19'  is given at Annexure -II.

A statement showing, State/UT - wise, numbers ASHAs died during COVID 19 activities as reported by the States/UTs  ( till 17 - 092020) under 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package: Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID 19

| State/UT wise list   | State/UT wise list   | State/UT wise list   |
|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
| S. No.               | State/UT             | ASHA                 |
| 1                    | Andaman & Nicobar    | 0                    |
| 2                    | Andhra Pradesh       | 1                    |
| 3                    | Arunachal Pradesh    | 0                    |
| 4                    | Assam                | 0                    |
| 5                    | Bihar                | 4                    |
| 6                    | Chandigarh           | 0                    |
| 7                    | Chhattisgarh         | 1                    |
| 8                    | Delhi                | 0                    |
| 9                    | Gujarat              | 1                    |
| 10                   | Haryana              | 0                    |
| 11                   | Himachal Pradesh     | 1                    |
| 12                   | Jammu & Kashmir      | 0                    |
| 13                   | Jharkhand            | 2                    |
| 14                   | Karnataka            | 2                    |
| 15                   | Kerala               | 0                    |
| 16                   | Madhya Pradesh       | 0                    |
| 17                   | Maharashtra          | 1                    |
| 18                   | Mizoram              | 0                    |
| 19                   | Odisha               | 0                    |
| 20                   | Punjab               | 1                    |
| 21                   | Puducherry           | 0                    |
| 22                   | Rajasthan            | 0                    |
| 23                   | Tamil Nadu           | 0                    |
| 24                   | Telangana            | 3                    |
| 25                   | Uttar Pradesh        | 0                    |
| 26                   | West Bengal          | 1                    |
|                      | Total                | 18                   |

A  statement  showing details  of  claim  filed  and  processed  of  ASHA workers  under  'Pradhan  Mantri  Garib  Kalyan  Package  :  Insurance Scheme for Health workers fighting COVID 19' .

|   Number of claims filed by the States to New India Assurance Company Ltd. (NIA) | Number of claimed processed by NIA   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|                                                                               12 | 6 #                                  |

Note : # out of  six (6), one (1)  claim has been disbursed and five (5) claims have been found ineligible  for  payment  by NIA.  The  remaining  claims  are under examination by the insurance company.