CPI (M) wants State govt to withdraw plans to conduct exams for ASHA workers

CPI (M) State Secretary, Tammineni Veerabhadram, demanded the State government to withdraw its plans to conduct examinations for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers.

Hyderabad: The State unit of CPI (M) demanded the State government to withdraw its plans to conduct examinations for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers.

Citing the Union government circular, the State government was gearing up to conduct examinations for ASHA workers. But these plans created panic among 28,000 ASHA workers, besides leaving them worried as it could impact their job security, CPI (M) State Secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram said here on Sunday.

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In an open letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the CPI (M) State Secretary said officials had informed that the examinations were being conducted only to improve the skills of ASHA workers but not to remove them from the jobs. If that was the case, the State government could conduct training programmes as was done in the past, he said.

“It cannot be ruled out that conducting examinations and issuing certificates to ASHA workers is a ploy to remove them from their jobs. There are many apprehensions over the Central government’s decision,” Tammineni Veerabhadram said.

ASHA workers had worked very hard during covid pandemic. Acknowledging their services, the World Health Organisation had also presented “Health Global Leaders” award to them. Since the last 33 years, they have been rendering services in Tribal areas and remote places, besides serving the women and children during the last 19 years. They have been instrumental in ensuring the good health of pregnant and nursing women.

Suddenly, the government was now planning to conduct examinations for ASHA workers to test their memory power. This move was triggering many doubts, he said, adding that “Considering the appeals made by ASHA workers, the BRS government had refrained from conducting the examinations,”

But the Congress government was gearing up to conduct examinations. Despite the Union government issuing circulars, no States had conducted examinations, he reminded the Chief Minister.

“I fail to understand the objective and enthusiasm of officers in Telangana to conduct examinations and implement the BJP-led Union government’s orders,” Tammineni Veerabhadram said.

He demanded the Chief Minister to withdraw the plans to conduct examinations for ASHA workers and address issues, including salaries, insurance coverage, retirement benefits and others raised by them before the government.