Hundreds of ASHA volunteers on Friday (February 6, 2026) took to the streets in Kolkata, dissatisfied with the ₹1,000 hike in their honorarium announced in the West Bengal interim budget.
The protesting Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) volunteers staged an impromptu sit-in outside the Swasthya Bhavan – the State’s health department headquarters in Salt Lake — demanding an honorarium of at least ₹15,000 per month.
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The Bidhannagar Police has put up barricades and deployed a large number of personnel on the streets leading to the Swasthya Bhavan, officials said.
An ASHA volunteer, who was part of the demonstration, said, “What will only a ₹1,000 hike mean for us when we are paid a paltry sum? We demand a minimum ₹15,000 per month remuneration.” Another volunteer said that a 17-member delegation is scheduled to meet the State’s health secretary and reiterate their demands.
