When Will India’s Anganwadi Workers, ASHAs Get Financial Security?
The 2021 Budget was celebrated as a victory for rural healthcare schemes that have received increased allocations. However, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and anganwadi workers (AWW), who have been protesting across Indian states for the last few months, stand to gain little from these increments. These community health workers have been point-persons for rural communities to access key health services and benefits. ASHAs and AWWs have been going to extreme lengths to ensure that the households they serve are able to access State entitlements, raising the question of why their entitlements remain unrecognised.