All Assam ASHA Association, affiliated to AICCTU held a state level day-long sit-in demonstration on 8th September 2025 at Guwahati with impressive participation of about four hundred ASHAs. They came from several districts like Hailakandi, Cachar, Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasso, Dibrugarh,Tinsukia, with Hailakandi having maximum participation.
The demonstration was led by AICCTU State President Com. Biren Kalita, State Secretary Com. Bolindra Saikia, the Working President Com. Subhas Sen, the ASHA State Secretary Com. Padma Mouth, Asstt. Secretaries Coms. Sofatunnesa Begum and Renu Begum, Vice President com. Minara Begum, Barbhuyan, Haidar Hussain and Mirson Terangpi.
The salient demands were:
1. Accord Govt. Employee status to the ASHA.
2. Rs. 21 thousand monthly salary to the ASHA.
3. The Govt. should soon hold a bi-partite meeting with the All-Assam ASHA Association.
4. To provide a scooty to every ASHA to ease their movement.
The day-long programme was presided over by Com. Subhas Sen. In his concluding speech, he asserted that the Govt. was conspiring to engage some NGO, which is popularising the policy of immediately providing a bi-cycle to every ASHA. He cautioned that the ASHAs are employed by the Govt. and not by any NGO. So, it is only the Govt. to deal with the ASHA and not any NGO or any other organisation whatsoever. The Govt. is trying to evade its responsibility which we must oppose tooth and nail.
He also said that some three days before, the RSS took an initiative to hold an ASHA meeting in Hafjan PHC of Tinsukia Dist. where a large number of ASHA were mobilised with a call that whoever would participate in this meeting will be given a bi-cycle, and the participating ASHAs were also advised that when the NGO and the RSS were trying to do good for the ASHA, it was useless to go to Guwahati braving the the scorching summer and emptying their pockets. This propaganda has hampered to some extent our mobilisation from Tinsukia district itself.
He appealed to the ASHAs to be vigilant against such fake propaganda and called upon them to intensify the struggle on their demands.
