32 ASHA workers stage indefinite sit-in at Ghugus over 22 months of unpaid Covid incentive

With Diwali near and preparations for lights and celebration under way everywhere, 32 ASHA workers in Ghugus, Chandrapur, have had to take to the streets for their pending incentive allowance. They say they have still not received 22 months of allowance for work done during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over this demand, an indefinite sit-in against the Ghugus Municipal Council began on November 4, 2026, on the stage at the local weekly market.

The sit-in continued on November 5, the second day of the agitation. Just before Diwali, the women had to spend the whole night at the protest site on the road. Some of the women taking part have small children at home, while others have ailments such as high blood pressure and diabetes. They remain firm on their demands, which they call just.

The ASHA workers say that during the difficult Covid-19 period, without worrying about their own and their families' health, they went door to door conducting surveys, spread health awareness, collected people's details and carried out other responsibilities of the health department. They say they were told then that an incentive allowance of Rs 1,000 a month would be paid for 24 months. They claim they received the allowance for only two months and the money for the remaining 22 months has not been paid to date. Nearly five years have passed, yet no firm solution has emerged.

Memorandums had been submitted to the administration earlier too. On October 12 they gave a deadline of 15 days, and on October 27 they gave a further seven days and warned that an agitation would follow if the demand was not met. No firm decision was taken, so they finally had to begin the indefinite sit-in on November 4.

The protesting women allege that a people's representative from Ghugus who came to meet them at the site spoke to them rudely, allegedly in a disrespectful form of address. The agitators say women who are peacefully putting forward their demand should be spoken to with respect.

Suresh Malhari Paikrao, Vidarbha secretary of the Azad Samaj Party, alleged that a people's representative came to the site, argued with the agitators and tried to weaken the agitation. He said plainly that the ASHA workers are not begging from anyone. They are asking for money that is rightfully theirs in return for their labour and service.

Paikrao also alleged that the municipal council president and the chief officer are passing the responsibility to each other. It is said that the president blames the chief officer for the non-payment, and the chief officer blames the president. He asked why, then, the matter of the ASHA workers' dues has still not been resolved.

The 32 ASHA workers are running the agitation under the guidance of Suresh Malhari Paikrao, Vidarbha secretary of the Azad Samaj Party, and led by district general secretary Ritatai Fakru Deshkar. Their main demands are that the pending incentive allowance for 22 months of the Covid period be paid immediately and that the women at the sit-in be treated with respect.

Paikrao has also urged the police administration to keep police deployment at the site at night too until the agitation ends. The ASHA workers have announced that the indefinite agitation will continue until a firm decision on their demands is made in writing.

These workers, who risked their lives during Covid to protect the health of others, are now fighting to get paid for their work. With Diwali here, attention is on what decision the municipal council and the administration take on the women's demands.