Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has promised Rs 10,000 monthly honorarium to Asha and Anganwadi workers if her party comes to power in Uttar Pradesh in the assembly polls scheduled to be held next year. Priyanka Gandhi’s remarks came after a delegation of health workers yesterday met her to raise their grievances. The delegation went to meet her two days after they were allegedly roughed up by police while trying to meet Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Shahjahanpur.
Attacking the BJP government, Priyanka accused the state government of insulting the work done by the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). Taking to Twitter, Priyanka Gandhi yesterday said, “Today I met Asha sisters who were tortured by the police in Shahjahanpur. They were brutally beaten up outside the Chief Minister’s meeting for raising their demands. Asha sisters worked day and night during corona, at the time of vaccination, during child delivery and on other occasions…But today, they are being harassed all over the state. Their honorarium is low, they do not receive it on time, there is corruption and they are beaten and insulted for raising their voices. Asha sisters, you deserve respect and a good honorarium. I stand shoulder to shoulder with you in this fight.”
लेकिन आज पूरे प्रदेश भर में उनको प्रताड़ित किया जा रहा है। उनका मानदेय कम है, समय पर नहीं मिलता, भ्रष्टाचार है और आवाज उठाने पर उनको पीटा जाता है व उनका अपमान किया जाता है।
आशा बहनों, आप सम्मान और अच्छे मानदेय की हकदार हैं। मैं कंधे से कंधा मिलाकर इस लड़ाई में आपके साथ हूं।
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) November 11, 2021
According to reports, a main Anganwadi worker gets Rs 5,500 per month, those in mini Anganwadi get Rs 4,500 a month while the Anganwadi helper earns Rs 2,750 a month in Uttar Pradesh.
On Wednesday, Priyanka had shared a purported video of the “assault” by police on ASHAs in Shahjahanpur. “Every assault on the ASHA sisters by the UP government is an insult to the work done by them,” she had said.
उप्र सरकार द्वारा आशा बहनों पर किया गया एक-एक वार उनके द्वारा किए गए कार्यों का अपमान है।
मेरी आशा बहनों ने कोरोना में व अन्य मौकों पर पूरी लगन से अपनी सेवाएं दीं। मानदेय उनका हक है। उनकी बात सुनना सरकार का कर्तव्य।
आशा बहनें सम्मान की हकदार हैं और मैं इस लड़ाई में उनके साथ हूं। pic.twitter.com/fTmBSvJbQD— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) November 10, 2021
The ASHAs had tried to meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during his visit to Shahjahanpur (on November 9) but they were roughed up by police, reported PTI quoting a Congress spokesman.
Shahjahanpur Superintendent of Police S Anand said on November 9, there was a programme of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath there. During this, the workers tried to go to the public meeting, when they were stopped, after which worker Poonam Pandey had a scuffle with a woman inspector and its video had surfaced on social media. The SP said that a case has been registered against Poonam. Poonam alleged that she was badly beaten up by woman inspector Jyoti Tyagi and other police personnel due to which she suffered injuries and her hand was fractured.