 For more videos on people's struggles, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. She goes under the heart department who is delivering the basic services to the mother people around 10 lakh workers are there and they go door to door delivering the services to the poor and marginalized sections of the society. And you see that during the pandemic, the first wave itself that this their importance of their work that has been coming to the limelight and their poor working conditions as well. So they are given only a pittance of 2000 rupees per basic allowance throughout the country. And in some states they will through their struggles, they are getting a little bit more from the state governments. And in during this pandemic, they were exposed to the when the disease that they were asked to do with the duties in the hospitals, taking the patients and all. And then the government announced an additional rupees 1000 per month only and that also for six months. And now it's more than a year. And then the second wave is also there. Even in the second wave, which is more dangerous and people the death rate is so much more there. And they are in the risk they are doing they go go go door to door conducting surveys and checking their temperature and taking their oxygen daily. These kinds of and even for the RTPC at the test COVID tests also somebody is having fever they were taken to the hospitals. So they are exposed to the patients directly. But the government is not at all providing them any kind of safety equipments including no sanitizers and no face masks even. So this is and particularly in the second phase. First phase some announcements were there and in the second phase nothing is given and hundreds of Asha workers are dying. Means due to COVID and you see that the government in the first phase itself they announced an insurance package means it is a life insurance thing of 50 lakh rupees that also it means especially in the first wave at least minimum to 300 Asha workers are died across the country. But a very few I mean maybe less than 10 people got the insurance coverage their families and in the second wave which is without any means the symptoms is very rarely seen. So they are exposed and they means they are dying and then they are not even termed as COVID deaths. So there is no post mortem and they are not given any certificate in the second rate even in Haryana recently around eight cases where they are in the last month itself of death none is given because they are telling that there should be because the COVID protocol is there and you know their bodies are not even hand over to the families and they are cremated but the government is now asking for a post mortem report for having the compensation this is the situation. So there the foremost thing is that they are doing their duty fantastically and they appreciated they are the link from the government to the people. So their work is so important and this is their working condition. So during this period we have been continuously approaching the government for risk allowance and additional because they other all the other health services are almost in a state still it is not being done. So their additional income they were supposed to get us through other immunization other programs like that that is also totally their income has been stopped and the services are also not delivered to the people. So here we are demanding that additional means the compensatory allowances there are basic demands of minimum wages and social security including pension is also already there but at least during the pandemic at least some risk allowance that government should announce that the government is not ready and the safety gear without the safety gear how can you expose people to the corona patients. So that is also the demand. So these are the demands which we are pushing forward safety and the risk allowance and the income support and in the families because of due to the lack of employment or the loss of employment and income there is a rampant poverty. So the income support and the food support that also for all the workers we are demanding. So these have been continuously raised and on 24th you know the 24th of May we had a one day talk and all India generals type of the Asha workers. So but the governments are not hearing and in Madhya Pradesh one of the places where so many cases are there so much of deaths also and Maharashtra is also one of the places where so many COVID deaths are and the pandemic rate is also very high. So there they are they are raising they were continuously raising that they have started in Maharashtra they asked from the state government also an additional allowance because they are exposed to so many other surveys and duties also. So additional allowance from the state government and the risk allowance also and in Maharashtra the government has announced that the RTPCR test will be done by the Ashas. So without I mean that also the union was opposing and then ultimately they they were compelled to take it back that decision of making Asha workers doing the RTPCR test. So that was taken back but the other demands are there and they are continuously on the struggle and the government has one round of discussion but they are also adamant whether the central government or the state in Madhya Pradesh also this is a BJP government they are also very adamant they and in Madhya Pradesh even the announced the remuneration or that increase the remuneration which the federal government announced that also is not reaching the workers. So for I mean and the wages are pending for so many months that also is there. So there also the same kind of demand first foremost is the safety and the safety equipments and now the and then the risk allowance and the additional remuneration at least for the COVID period. So these are the circumstances and also in Haryana the Asha workers have been continuously lasted 2-3 years continuous struggles. There the government announced something in 2018 but they are yet to implement that. So they increased remuneration and the other relevances. Now what they have brought is that they are bringing a new mobile application to have surveillance over the Asha workers because there is a militant union and they are exposing the entire health system also they are going public. So to curtail that they are introducing another mobile application. They are also they are boycotting this mobile app they refuse to come under the surveillance along with the other demands. So this is the situation of a total situation of surveillance and total endangering their lives also. So there we are compelled to go on struggles and to move tomorrow we are going to have a meeting of the old central trade unions and the front line workers the scheme workers especially Anganwadi and Asha workers who are on COVID duty. So there we will be planning for further fire and agitations as well. Actually the both these strikes started with the old India call on 24th and the different forms of agitations were there and from 13th and 14th the Madhya Pradesh struggle started and from Monday onwards which is a total strike they are holding demonstration giving the memorandum and surprisingly the health officials in many of the districts are supporting the struggle. So because it is a genuine demand and they also are exposed the entire health system and the workers in the health sector workers are all exposed to such kind of risks. So in that way they are getting public support also. So they are holding the demonstrations and giving that because they have to have the COVID protocol also and they but anyway they are at their lives are at risk. So they are holding the demonstration giving the memorandum and now they are planning to how go for a state level a symbolic not a very big mass level mobilization, symbolic agitations, money set district headquarters and then at the state health department headquarters also. Similarly in Maharashtra also they are having holding the demonstrations at CHC, PHC levels giving memoranda and going to the and both these places wherever there is an independence right they are going to the public also explaining to them what is the demand and one of the major demands of all these struggles are the increased budget allocation for the health public health system improving the facilities in the government system and also for the basic ration and income support. So this is what how the struggles are done.