Lok Sabha Question No. 2031 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-31
Subject: Asha Bahu
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: REKHA ARUN VERMA

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE**

**DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2031**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 31** **ST** **JULY, 2015**

**Asha Bahu**

**2031. SHRIMATI REKHA VERMA:**

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

(a) whether the Government has formulated/proposes to formulate any new scheme named Asha Bahu for providing health care in rural and backward areas of the country;

(b) if so, the details, salient features and objectives thereof along with the honorarium fixed thereunder; and

(c) the funds earmarked, allocated and spent by the Government under the said scheme during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise?

**ANSWER**

**THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE**

**(SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA)**

(a) & (b):	One of the key components of the National Rural Health Mission and now the National Health Mission has been a trained female community health activist Accredited Social Health Activist or ASHA. The salient features and objectives of this key component  are as below:

1. The ASHA is a women selected by the community who is  resident in the community, trained and supported to function in her own village to improve the health status of the community by enabling improved health care practices and behaviours, healthcare provisions and securing peoples access to healthcare services as is feasible at the community level.

1. She forms a critical link between the community and the public health system. Usually, an ASHA is engaged for a population of 1000. In tribal and hilly areas, ASHAs may be engaged per hamlet.

1. ASHA must be a woman resident of the village, preferably ‘Married/Widow Divorced / Separated’ and preferably in the age group of 25 to 45 years.

1. She should be a literate woman with formal education upto Class 8 though Class 10 pass should be given preference if suitable candidate is available.

1. The roles and responsibilities of an ASHA include as under:

- A facilitator or link worker – where there is low use of health services, the ASHA enables people to access health services.
- A volunteer and activist- to enable access to health entitlements and reaching the marginalized.
- A community level care provider- important for her credibility, to respond to local health needs, particularly in underserved areas.

1. ASHAs are envisaged as honorary volunteers and accordingly they are not given fixed monthly honorarium and are given performance based incentives for tasks performed by them.

1. Support for ASHAs is provided to State/UT Governments based on the required posed by States/UTs in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs).

(c):		The details of approval and expenditure of funds for the last three years is at Annexure.

| **Annexure**  Statement Showing State wise SPIP Approval and Expenditure under ASHA (includes ASHA incentive under JSY and Immunization)   |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **(Rs. In Crore**                                                                                                                          |                                                                           | **)**                                                                     |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |
| **S.No.**                                                                                                                                  | **State**                                                                 | **2012-13**                                                               |                                                                           | **2013-14**                                                               |                                                                           | **2014-15**                                                               |                                                                           |
|                                                                                                                                            |                                                                           | **SPIP Approval**                                                         | **Exp.**                                                                  | **SPIP Approval**                                                         | **Exp.**                                                                  | **SPIP Approval**                                                         | **Exp.**                                                                  |
| **A. High Focus States**                                                                                                                   |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |
| 1                                                                                                                                          | Bihar                                                                     | 156.56                                                                    | 89.70                                                                     | 280.20                                                                    | 168.24                                                                    | 252.62                                                                    | 184.73                                                                    |
| 2                                                                                                                                          | Chhatisgarh                                                               | 42.94                                                                     | 34.79                                                                     | 92.46                                                                     | 49.06                                                                     | 84.82                                                                     | 60.39                                                                     |
| 3                                                                                                                                          | Himachal                                                                  | 1.40                                                                      | 1.19                                                                      | 1.50                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 8.61                                                                      | 11.18                                                                     |
| 4                                                                                                                                          | J & K                                                                     | 13.56                                                                     | 8.43                                                                      | 12.09                                                                     | 11.08                                                                     | 25.86                                                                     | 13.01                                                                     |
| 5                                                                                                                                          | Jharkhand                                                                 | 53.41                                                                     | 23.96                                                                     | 81.16                                                                     | 31.38                                                                     | 125.92                                                                    | 44.93                                                                     |
| 6                                                                                                                                          | MP                                                                        | 101.13                                                                    | 69.35                                                                     | 141.87                                                                    | 127.17                                                                    | 164.71                                                                    | 155.86                                                                    |
| 7                                                                                                                                          | Orissa                                                                    | 61.52                                                                     | 51.15                                                                     | 94.97                                                                     | 85.83                                                                     | 88.29                                                                     | 81.23                                                                     |
| 8                                                                                                                                          | Rajasthan                                                                 | 50.01                                                                     | 30.42                                                                     | 160.03                                                                    | 67.79                                                                     | 138.05                                                                    | 99.44                                                                     |
| 9                                                                                                                                          | UP                                                                        | 146.85                                                                    | 168.46                                                                    | 364.24                                                                    | 186.54                                                                    | 517.64                                                                    | 264.47                                                                    |
| 10                                                                                                                                         | Uttarakhand                                                               | 14.45                                                                     | 15.41                                                                     | 21.42                                                                     | 17.96                                                                     | 33.29                                                                     | 26.50                                                                     |
|                                                                                                                                            | **Sub Total**                                                             | **641.83**                                                                | **492.87**                                                                | **1249.94**                                                               | **745.06**                                                                | **1439.81**                                                               | **941.73**                                                                |
| **B. NE States**                                                                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |
| 11                                                                                                                                         | Arunachal Pradesh                                                         | 4.33                                                                      | 4.08                                                                      | 6.51                                                                      | 3.50                                                                      | 10.62                                                                     | 2.73                                                                      |
| 12                                                                                                                                         | Assam                                                                     | 61.21                                                                     | 59.14                                                                     | 71.58                                                                     | 67.46                                                                     | 89.46                                                                     | 63.01                                                                     |
| 13                                                                                                                                         | Manipur                                                                   | 4.25                                                                      | 1.94                                                                      | 4.25                                                                      | 3.06                                                                      | 6.92                                                                      | 3.38                                                                      |
| 14                                                                                                                                         | Meghalya                                                                  | 7.33                                                                      | 3.46                                                                      | 6.02                                                                      | 2.29                                                                      | 11.49                                                                     | 3.20                                                                      |
| 15                                                                                                                                         | Mizoram                                                                   | 1.69                                                                      | 0.91                                                                      | 2.39                                                                      | 2.01                                                                      | 3.80                                                                      | 2.87                                                                      |
| 16                                                                                                                                         | Nagaland                                                                  | 1.44                                                                      | 1.16                                                                      | 3.40                                                                      | 2.14                                                                      | 4.79                                                                      | 1.81                                                                      |
| 17                                                                                                                                         | Sikkim                                                                    | 1.02                                                                      | 0.82                                                                      | 1.49                                                                      | 0.93                                                                      | 1.37                                                                      | 0.97                                                                      |
| 18                                                                                                                                         | Tripura                                                                   | 9.31                                                                      | 5.47                                                                      | 8.10                                                                      | 6.78                                                                      | 17.12                                                                     | 13.78                                                                     |
|                                                                                                                                            | **Sub Total**                                                             | **90.56**                                                                 | **76.99**                                                                 | **103.73**                                                                | **88.17**                                                                 | **145.56**                                                                | **91.75**                                                                 |
| **C. Non-High Focus States**                                                                                                               |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |
| 19                                                                                                                                         | Andhra Pradesh                                                            | 68.60                                                                     | 46.61                                                                     | 73.34                                                                     | 71.72                                                                     | 55.23                                                                     | 51.77                                                                     |
| 20                                                                                                                                         | Telangana                                                                 | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 42.36                                                                     | 33.52                                                                     |
| 21                                                                                                                                         | Goa                                                                       | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      |
| 22                                                                                                                                         | Gujarat                                                                   | 82.09                                                                     | 53.23                                                                     | 83.15                                                                     | 85.36                                                                     | 141.04                                                                    | 120.23                                                                    |
| 23                                                                                                                                         | Haryana                                                                   | 14.53                                                                     | 19.14                                                                     | 40.90                                                                     | 44.59                                                                     | 40.62                                                                     | 37.29                                                                     |
| 24                                                                                                                                         | Karnataka                                                                 | 59.10                                                                     | 56.95                                                                     | 74.25                                                                     | 61.72                                                                     | 111.99                                                                    | 62.81                                                                     |
| 25                                                                                                                                         | Kerala                                                                    | 22.13                                                                     | 24.12                                                                     | 22.99                                                                     | 18.13                                                                     | 16.42                                                                     | 17.67                                                                     |
| 26                                                                                                                                         | Maharashtra                                                               | 61.30                                                                     | 49.56                                                                     | 66.88                                                                     | 70.35                                                                     | 126.05                                                                    | 124.45                                                                    |
| 27                                                                                                                                         | Punjab                                                                    | 25.50                                                                     | 13.33                                                                     | 28.82                                                                     | 25.62                                                                     | 46.20                                                                     | 30.12                                                                     |
| 28                                                                                                                                         | Tamilnadu                                                                 | 8.04                                                                      | 1.22                                                                      | 8.98                                                                      | 3.18                                                                      | 15.49                                                                     | 7.93                                                                      |
| 29                                                                                                                                         | West Bengal                                                               | 106.79                                                                    | 110.03                                                                    | 107.21                                                                    | 111.52                                                                    | 181.24                                                                    | 118.01                                                                    |
|                                                                                                                                            | **Sub Total**                                                             | **448.07**                                                                | **374.19**                                                                | **506.52**                                                                | **492.20**                                                                | **776.64**                                                                | **603.79**                                                                |
| **D. Small States/UTs**                                                                                                                    |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |
| 30                                                                                                                                         | Andaman & Nicobar Island                                                  | 0.12                                                                      | 0.08                                                                      | 0.25                                                                      | 0.15                                                                      | 0.29                                                                      | 0.20                                                                      |
| 31                                                                                                                                         | Chandigarh                                                                | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.10                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      |
| 32                                                                                                                                         | Dadra & Nagar Haveli                                                      | 0.13                                                                      | 0.10                                                                      | 0.24                                                                      | 0.17                                                                      | 0.85                                                                      | 0.29                                                                      |
| 33                                                                                                                                         | Daman & Diu                                                               | 0.19                                                                      | 0.14                                                                      | 0.36                                                                      | 0.21                                                                      | 0.35                                                                      | 0.15                                                                      |
| 34                                                                                                                                         | Delhi                                                                     | 7.03                                                                      | 1.95                                                                      | 7.51                                                                      | 4.79                                                                      | 2.98                                                                      | 2.92                                                                      |
| 35                                                                                                                                         | Lakshadweep                                                               | 0.09                                                                      | 0.04                                                                      | 0.07                                                                      | 0.06                                                                      | 0.23                                                                      | 0.04                                                                      |
| 36                                                                                                                                         | Puducherry                                                                | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      | 0.03                                                                      | 0.00                                                                      |
|                                                                                                                                            | **Sub Total**                                                             | **7.56**                                                                  | **2.31**                                                                  | **8.43**                                                                  | **5.48**                                                                  | **4.72**                                                                  | **3.61**                                                                  |
|                                                                                                                                            | **Grand Total**                                                           | **1188.03**                                                               | **946.36**                                                                | **1868.62**                                                               | **1330.92**                                                               | **2366.73**                                                               | **1640.87**                                                               |
|                                                                                                                                            |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |
| Note:                                                                                                                                      |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |                                                                           |
| Above mentioned expenditure figures are as per FMR and hence provisional.                                                                  | Above mentioned expenditure figures are as per FMR and hence provisional. | Above mentioned expenditure figures are as per FMR and hence provisional. | Above mentioned expenditure figures are as per FMR and hence provisional. | Above mentioned expenditure figures are as per FMR and hence provisional. | Above mentioned expenditure figures are as per FMR and hence provisional. | Above mentioned expenditure figures are as per FMR and hence provisional. | Above mentioned expenditure figures are as per FMR and hence provisional. |
| SPIP- State programme Implementation Plan.                                                                                                 | SPIP- State programme Implementation Plan.                                | SPIP- State programme Implementation Plan.                                | SPIP- State programme Implementation Plan.                                | SPIP- State programme Implementation Plan.                                | SPIP- State programme Implementation Plan.                                | SPIP- State programme Implementation Plan.                                | SPIP- State programme Implementation Plan.                                |