“Calls Grow for Sturdier Benefits Protection for Frontline Worker Community
India's leading labor collectives recently renewed demands for permanent work status and strengthened social safeguarding for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), anganwadi staff, and mid-day meal preparers. These frontline worker groups play a vital role in administering essential community services. However, their work arrangements currently fall outside typical employer-employee structures, leaving them vulnerable without baseline protections.
Representatives from organizations like the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Trade Union Coordination Committee met with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ahead of the upcoming budget. They stressed that ASHAs, anganwadi employees, and school meal providers take on permanent, long-term responsibilities and thus deserve recognition as official “workers.” This would grant them access to standard wages and benefits like healthcare coverage.
With prices rapidly rising, unions also petitioned for an overdue raise to the modest honorariums these scheme workers receive. Their payments have not increased since 2018 despite high inflation. Additional requests included strengthening programs that support vulnerable populations. For example, expanding MGNREGA to guarantee 200 days of paid work annually instead of the current 100.
Gig platform deliverers are another group lacking protections. Given sweltering heat waves, trade unions pushed for minimum pay floors and portable medical insurance for independent food couriers. Clearly delineating all scheme workers' rights would shore up India's social welfare architecture during uncertain times.”
