THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ASHA workers from across the state will march to the Secretariat on Monday as they intensify their protest, which is entering its 36th day.

The demonstration led by the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA), demands an increase in honorarium, retirement benefits and other basic needs. Despite the protest continuing for over a month, the state government has neither agreed to the demands nor initiated discussions with the workers.

In a move seen as a countermeasure, the health department has scheduled training programmes in various districts on the same day as the Secretariat blockade. Programme managers of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Thrissur districts have issued strict instructions to attend the sessions.

Meanwhile, the plight of one of the protesting ASHA workers, Anitha Kumari from Palode, has drawn public attention. She has received a seizure notice from Kerala Bank, warning that her house will be taken over if she fails to repay a loan of Rs 2.82 lakh within seven days.

Anitha had borrowed the amount in 2021 to cover medical expenses when one of her children was undergoing cancer treatment. She has also taken an additional Rs 3 lakh loan from the Kerala State Co-operative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank Ltd.

Her husband, a construction worker in the Gulf, has been struggling to send money home, making it difficult for the family to repay the loans. In a relief, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III Catholic Bava has stepped forward to provide partial financial assistance to Anitha.

Training programmes scheduled

In a move seen as a countermeasure, the health department has scheduled training programmes in various districts on the same day as the blockade