Patna (Bihar) [India], July 31 : A day after Nitish Kumar announced a significant hike in the honorarium for ASHA and Mamta workers, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav took a swipe at former, accusing the NDA government of being incompetent for "sitting on the decision" for two years.
He took credit for initiating the process of increasing the incentive amount for ASHA and Mamta workers during his stint as Health Minister. He claimed that his former ally, Nitish Kumar, had "backtracked" from the decision.
"During my 17 months as Health Minister, I had initiated the process of increasing the incentive amount for ASHA and Mamta workers, which was in its final stage, but by then, the government and the Chief Minister, as usual, backtracked. This incompetent NDA government has been sitting on it for two years. Finally, they had to bow down to our demand to increase the incentive amount for ASHA and Mamta workers," Yadav, who is also the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Bihar legislative assembly, posted on X.
He criticised the Nitish Kumar government for failing to implement the proposal in its entirety, saying that the workers must receive an honorarium instead of a mere incentive amount.
"Here, the government has cunningly not fully implemented our demand. They should receive an honorarium, not just an incentive amount. We will ensure they get an honorarium," Yadav said, adding, "This government will have no choice but to accept our demand to increase the honorarium for Anganwadi workers/assistants and cooks as well."
"Seeing the fear of this copycat, tired, visionless, and blind government in the face of our demands, announcements, promises, intentions, and claims feels good. This fear is good, but for 20 years, were they just peeling peanuts? The same government, its leaders, ministers, and officials who used to mock our announcements are now running scared as they see power slipping away. Will you just keep copying Tejashwi, or will you use your own brains for once?" Yadav said.
Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, Nitish Kumar announced a significant hike in the honorarium for ASHA and Mamta workers in recognition of their contribution to improving rural health services.
ASHA Workers' honorarium was increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000, while Mamta Workers' honorarium was increased from Rs 300 to Rs 600 per delivery. Stressing the state government's commitment to strengthening healthcare since 2005, Nitish said the increased incentives will boost the morale of frontline workers and further enhance health services in villages.
Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year, in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.